Planners still in favour of yard use for vinery
PLANNERS are standing by their recommendation to allow a glasshouse site be used for yards, after the access was tested using skip lorries.
An open planning meeting into whether to allow the change of use of the site at Domarie Vinery to have 16 storage units and two open yards was deferred by politicians in August, as they wanted more information.
Traffic was one of the main concerns around the project, which would see commercial vehicles entering the site from Oatlands Lane.
After the meeting deferral the applicant carried out tests with a skip lorry, aiming to show it could safely enter and exit the site. Traffic & Highway Services and the Development & Planning Authority then commissioned their own independent test.
‘While the additional information provided does suggest that a skip lorry or equivalent vehicle would be likely in practice to encroach into the cycle/foot path on exiting the site, the nature of the proposed uses, in conjunction with the proposed limitations on use set out within the recommended conditions, would not represent an intensification of use over the authorised but uncontrolled horticultural use of the site and would not result in any greater road safety impacts,’ the new report states.
‘Traffic & Highway Services has concluded, on the basis of the details of the application, the trials conducted on site, the proposed conditions as detailed in the planning application report, and assurances given at the original open planning meeting that enforcement action could be taken in the event that the site is not used in accordance with permissions, THS does not oppose the application from a traffic management or road safety perspective.’
The new report also looked at the number of vehicles that would be accessing the site.
It was estimated by the applicant that there could be up to 40 vehicle movements a day, if all the units were full.
This was down from about 55 movements a day when the site was under horticultural use.
THS stated it did not believe the change of use would result in an intensification in vehicle movements at the site.
Following the research, the planners have stated they were still in favour of the application being approved.
The open planning meeting will resume in the Cambridge/Delancey Room, Beau Sejour, next Wednesday at 1.30pm.
