‘Nobody expects homes through a pub car park’
Green light for plans to build four new houses
THE construction of four new houses has been approved – with access through a village pub car park.
Members of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning applications committee have given the go ahead for the development at The Top Pub, Hill Top, Brown Edge.
The application involves the building of three homes and a bungalow, along with improvements to the pub car park.
A report to councillors by planning officer Chris Johnston said: “The access would be taken from the car park via the removal of part of the fence along the rear boundary of the car park, where there are no spaces, and the creation of a hard-surfaced short cul-de-sac road leading further west and which would have three three-bedroom two-storey detached dwelling houses of the same design placed in a row on the south side of the cul-de-sac, and a detached twobedroom bungalow on the north side.
“The planning statement put forward with this new full application explains that the number of pub car park spaces would remain the same (20).
“Vehicular and pedestrian access to the residential part of the site would be gated. The vehicular gates would be remote controlled, and the pedestrian gates by a combination lock.
“The presence of a gate would slow vehicles leaving and entering the proposed housing site.
“A new pedestrian access, from the footpath which is situated immediately to the north of the site linking Back Lane to the road to the immediate east of the Top Pub, would be created at the northwestern end of the site.
“This would enable occupants of the houses to walk from the site without going through the pub car park. This access would be gated and controlled with a coded keypad.
“Two speed bumps would be installed in the car park to reduce traffic speed. One would be close to the entrance from the road and the other located towards the south-western end of the car park.
“The latter would reduce the speed of vehicles exiting the proposed housing site.
“A third speed bump would be located in the housing site to reduce traffic speeds there.
“A pathway from the pub entrance to the other side of the car park would be marked out on the car park surface to channel people to the other side of the car park.
“The marked pathway would continue along all the spaces on the southern side of the car park to encourage people to walk there. Signs would be erected asking people to use the pathway.
“Signs could also be erected at the entrance to the car park asking drivers to be aware of pedestrians.
“The planning statement also states that the proposal is supported by the pub landlord.
Eleven letters of objection were received from residents citing harm to the Green Belt, harm to highway safety due to nearby bends and speed limits being exceeded, and no improvement to visibility at the access, and it was unsafe to have an access through a pub car park.
Brown Edge Parish Council said they acknowledged that the application was in the Green Belt, but it was also noted that the development would be infill to the current village boundary.
Staffordshire County Council highways authority offered no objections, subject to conditions.
In a letter to the planning committee objecting to the plans, Carol Rowley asked where vehicles would park during construction.
She said: “What about a fault on the electric gates? Cars would then have to park on the pub car park. No one expects dwellings through a pub car park.”
The applicant’s agent, Ken Wainman, said: “There will be no reduction in car parking spaces. It is infill in accordance with national planning policy, and is sustainable development.”
Planning committee member and ward councillor Linda Lea said: “This plot is part of a beauty site. It will lose its character and is in the green belt.
“There will be more vehicles passing through the car park, which could cause problems when people are leaving the pub. There will be more congestion and traffic problems at the T-junction.”
The committee voted by eight to three, with one abstention, in favour of approval.