Supermarket extension plans refused
Extension plans for a major supermarket in Stirling have been refused by Stirling Council planners.
Morrisons submitted an application to build a single storey extension to their superstore in Springkerse Retail Park.
However, council planners have rejected the bid saying not enough information has been provided to show whether the proposal would increase traffic.
The company wanted to provide additional gross floor area of 344m² (200m² net trading area) by extending the side where it’s cafe currently sits.
In their decision, council planners said:“the existing building line in this location is set back with a large overhang to the roof.
“This proposal brings the exterior wall northwards to be covered by a mansard roof which will have a natural slate finish to match the existing.
“It is not envisaged that the proposal will adversely impact on the city centre since the additional floor space is limited and the products sold will be those associated with a foodstore.
“The proposal will be subservient to the main building and will not project beyond the existing building line established by the entrance feature to the east of the building. No car parking will be removed to form the extension.”
However, they added:“early in the processing of this application (October 2022) a Transport Statement was requested due to the scale of development (over 250m2 GFA) and its use class (Class 1).
“It was also noted that due to the scale and location (within the City Transport Area) of the development a Transport Developer Contribution may require to be sought.
“A Transport Statement is required in order to provide clarity on whether or not the development will result in an increase in trips thereby providing an evidence base for an informed assessment.
“The assessment provided in the Transport Statement may highlight that no further car parking spaces are required however cycle
parking and accessible parking would also be explored.”
The planners said the applicant had decided not to provide the requested information.
They added:“the proposal fails to meet Local Plan policy since it has not been demonstrated that the development has reduced its travel demands and that residual demands are met in a manner which ensures a safe and realistic choice of access by walking, cycling, public transport and motor vehicles.
“Insufficient information has been provided to measure the impact of the development on the City Transport Area and, if applicable, ensure necessary contributions are agreed.
“Whilst it is considered that an extension to the existing retail store is acceptable in terms of the principle of development and the design, scale and massing, there is a lack of sufficient information to provide clarity on whether or not the development will result in an increase in trips.
“Without this information the planning authority cannot make an informed assessment on the impact of the development on existing infrastructure and, if applicable, ensure that contributions are agreed for any necessary mitigation.”