Parking concerns at new pizza unit
No meeting concerns Councillor Valentine
Residents are up in arms in Craigneuk - after they believe they were ignored following complaints over a proposed takeaway in the area.
Last month, plans for the fast food joint on Glasgow Road were approved by North Lanarkshire Council despite objections from residents and Craigneuk Community Council.
This came after the proposal was launched on April 19 and fears were raised over the amount of fast food establishments already in the area, as well as the amount of litter, noise and parking problems.
At the recent Craigneuk Community Council meeting, Councillor Alan Valentine believed more should have been done during the consultation process.
He said: “If a planning applications has objections they usually have a hearing where they allow objectors to speak about it.
“Normally if there are complaints, it would go to the committee.
“It seems strange that the people who made these complaints did not have the chance to speak about it.
“The concerns residents have are very reasonable and they should be heard in-depth.
“In the planning application, it shows room for four cars to park out the front. But they weren’t supposed to park there when it was The Fireplace.
“There is no access to Glasgow Road from that shop and I don’t see how it will improve after this opens.”
The plans showed space for woodburning pizza ovens in the centre of the takeaway next to Flooring Republic.
The Flooring Republic store will remain with a retail unit and a showroom connected to the proposed restaurant.
Permits have also been submitted to the council for alterations to the shop front for signage.
A spokesperson from Nor th Lana r k s h i re Council said: “There is no requirement for the Planning Sub-Committee to hold a hearing before deciding a planning application, even when objections have been received. Details of objections received are reported to the subcommittee.
“Occasionally, the subcommittee does hold a hearing, but only if one has been requested and in this case there was no request for a hearing.”