Appeal made on Wem reservoir home refused
Plans to build a house on the site of a former reservoir near Wem have been turned down by a Government planning inspector due to road safety concerns.
Thomas Evans was refused planning permission for a detached house, garage and utilising the existing underground reservoir as a basement, on Shawbury Road, near Wem, by Shropshire Council last year.
At the time the plans were refused, Ian Kilby, Shropshire Council development manager, said: "The application site occupies a countryside location where market housing provision is not supported.
"The proposal is not considered to constitute sustainable development.
"Insufficient access information and details have been submitted with the application to allow the implications of the proposal to be fully considered and assessed from the highway perspective."
Moreton Corbet and Lee Brockhurst Parish Council also objected to the plans. Mr Evans then went to the Government planning inspectorate which has now also thrown out the plans due to road safety concerns.
The site is the old Severn Trent reservoir located on the B5063 Shawbury Road. It consists of a concrete underground tank reservoir surrounded and screened by sandstone walls.
The stone boundary walls form part of the rural landscape and the site is surrounded by agricultural land and fields.
In a document submitted to Shropshire Council, Mr Evans said: "The proposal is for one dwelling only and it is proposed to provide a new gated vehicle access of 3m wide set back 5m from the carriageway so that vehicles can pull safely off the highway without causing obstruction.
"The walls will be relocated to provide both visibility and a pull in for vehicle delivery such as the postman."
However Alexander Walker, planning inspector, said he was concerned the proposal could result in severe harm to road safety.
He said: "This stretch of the B5063 is un-restricted. The council confirms that at the point of the existing access vehicles tend to drive fast.
"The observations I made during my site visit support this view. Whilst the stone wall to the front of the site is set back slightly from the highway, visibility in both directions is very restricted."
