Road safety concerns lead to rejection of housing plans
Concerns over road safety have led county planners to refuse plans to build eight homes.
Back in March, Mike Prior of JJP Services Ltd lodged plans with Powys County Council to demolish the former Sandringham leather goods factory on Eastgate Street in Llanidloes and build eight homes, an access road, car parking and gardens there.
The proposal would see two two-bedroom homes and six three-bedroom homes built at the site, which is opposite Llanidloes War Memorial Hospital and next to the Huws Gray builder’s merchants.
Wales’ largest independent furniture store, Hafren Furnishers actually own the site.
Concerns about how close the development is to the builder’s merchants, road safety, and the possibility that the site is contaminated, had been raised during the consultation process on the scheme.
Planning officer Rhian Griffiths said: “The site is not allocated for housing development; however, it is a brownfield site in a sustainable location within the settlement boundary of the town of Llanidloes.”
Due to this Ms Griffiths believes that the “principle” of a housing development at the site is acceptable.
Ms Griffiths goes on to explain that the council’s highways authority (HA) had raised concerns over the plans.
Ms Griffiths said: “Highways originally objected, noting that the application did not accord with active travel standards, and that the layout as submitted would lead to a detriment in highway safety.”
Discussions with the applicant took place and changes were made to the proposal which were looked at again by the HA officers.
Ms Griffiths said: “The HA maintain their objection, noting concerns with the pedestrian footpaths and access, highway design / layout, and the parking provision.”
The HA had also said that part of the objection was about the visibility of cars emerging from where parking space is earmarked for plot five.
Ms Griffiths said: “Having carefully considered the details it is considered that the proposal would not comply with planning policy in that the proposed development fails to demonstrate that there would not be an unacceptable impact upon highway safety.”
She confirmed the decision is to refuse the plans.
The single-storey 1960s-era built factory, was bought in 1997 by Hafren Furnisher with the principal use of self-storage and unloading full container loads of furnishings.”
