This application was refused by Wychavon Planning on 27th May 2021

Parish Council Response to the Planning Application - pending

An application has been made for outline planning permission for 6 "self build" dwellings off Main Street behind Long Mynd and Papplewick and Berry Cottages.

Whilst the application is outline at this point, approval at this point secures the ability for these properties to be built with only approval required for detailed design issues.

The application reference is  20/02738/OUT  and the case  officer is  Emma Worley     Link to the Application 

The council is seeking an extension to the consultation end date (11/1/20) to allow it to be discussed at the next council meeting.

WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE WITH CONCERNS EXPLORE THE APPLICATION DETAILS AND CONSIDER COMMENTING (Objecting or supporting) - on the Wychavon Planning Portal. 

Extract from Indicative Site Plan

Some key issues as summarised by a resident

Access to Site

You will be aware, from the developers plans, there is limited access to the site

Vehicle Access

You can see from the dimensions on their plans [available of Wychavon planning site], that the width of the road where it joins Main Street is 4.5metres. There is no “flare”, it joins at almost 90 degrees to the highway.

Conveniently, there are no dimension that show the width of Main Street, but I have measured the road width either side of the access. Main Street is 5.9 metres wide directly to the south, and 6.1 metres wide to the north. The footpath is 2.2metres wide.

Despite the developers assertion that two cars will be able to pass each other within the private road, and there will be no need for vehicles to reverse from the private road onto the public road, I disagree.

The dimensions of the vehicle that they use on other plans are totally unrealistic. ISO3833:1977 gives the dimension of vehicle DB32 as 4.223metres long and 1.717metres wide.

Back in 1977 a Ford Cortina was 1.7 metres wide. By comparison, my Vauxhall Crossland is 1.85 metres. My own drive is 4.4 metres wide, and this is what our two cars look like side by side:

There is no provisions for a car and a delivery van, fuel wagon,or any other wide bodied to pass each other.

Despite the developers being allowed, by Planning Regulations, to use a set of (possibly 40+ year old) dimensions to enable their application, ultimately common sense should prevail

Emergency Service Vehicle Access

The Building Regulations 2010 Fire Safety Approved Document B. Section B5 cover access and facilities for the Fire

Service

There are minimum dimensions for access roads

The minimum kerb to kerb width for a pump is 3.7 metres. The road is 3.5 metres wide. There should be a turning facility within 20 metres of the end if the road. There is none.

The Mercedes, Dennis and Scandia Fire Engines are all 10.5 metres long.

As previously stated. Main Street is approximately 8.1 to 8.2 metres wide from one side to the other. I am concerned that the access is physically too small for an emergency vehicle to access the site. If it can, it still has to either reverse in, or reverse out.

Public Right of Way

None of the above observations regarding space for vehicles even include the space required for walkers and pedestrians who want to access the public footpath network, or the properties on the site.

I am not particularly bothered if two vehicles come together. They can be repaired/replaced. Pedestrians that come together with a vehicle can not!

The suggestion by the developer that both vehicles and walkers can share the same space is reckless. This footpath is not only used on bright sunny days, it is used early morning, in the evening. It is used in rain, snow, ice and fog.

The point where the proposed path diverts from the right to the left of the access is on the brow of the hill, adjacent to plot 1’s drive. I can’t think of a more dangerous location for this transition to happen.

There is no provision for a separate footpath ( as there is on the site behind Malvern View). There will inevitably be arguments about who has the right of way.

The current footpath is approximately 48 metres from the road, up the track to the gate. It is a further 110 metres from the gate to the far side of the field. To give some context – the track is about the same distance as from the shop to the pub. Across the field is about the same distance as from the shop to the end of Babylon Lane. Its about 200 of my (not massive) paces. That’s a long distance to be sharing a path with a vehicle.

Other Issues which have been raised by residents include:-

• Disabled access along the lane
• Impossibility of providing safe footway
• Hazard at entry due to regular amount of parked vehicles
• effect of the curve of the road
• Refuse collection provision
• no space to provide turning provision without damaging pond and wildlife habitat