‘Don’t start Airfield work until new link road goes in’
PARISH councillors have objected to plans to start work on new buildings on the Airfield Industrial Estate before a new link road is put in.
Osmaston and Yeldersley Parish Council have strongly opposed a planning application due to be discussed that would enable developers to build new commercial buildings on land to the south of the industrial estate.
Outline permission has been granted for these new buildings, but planning conditions prevent any work taking place before a new road has been built, linking the business park to the A52 near to Osmaston Crossroads.
But the applicant has asked Derbyshire Dales District Council to remove this condition, in a bid to start work on some of the new buildings, ahead of the new road being put in place.
In a report to members of the district council’s planning committee, Osmaston and Yeldersley Parish Council’s objections were laid out.
The council says infrastructure should be first and not last in the development process, and pointed out that access to the proposed site would, they believe, need to be from Ladyhole Lane, which is already under pressure from traffic and has a dangerous access off the A52.
Ashbourne Town Council also strongly objected to the plans, citing potential traffic issues, and 12 individual representations were sent in, echoing the fears.
However the new conditions would mean the applicants would be obliged to build the link road within 24 months of the first building being occupied, and planning officer Jon Bradbury points out that none of the 75 homes also earmarked for the site can be built until the road is up and running.
Concluding his report, and recommending the conditions are altered as requested, he said: “Although the release of land for industrial purposes ahead of the formation of the new link road to the A52 raises understandable concerns that the commencement of development in this way allows for the retention and creation of employment opportunities while at the same time committing the developer to a timescale to complete the highway infrastructure to serve the whole of phase one.
As the scheme remains in general accordance with planning policy, and has the support of the council’s Economic Development Manager and has overcome initial concerns from the Local Highway Authority there is no sound planning basis to resist this variation of conditions.
“It will be necessary to both repeat all previous conditions, bringing them into line with the adopted local plan and guidance as precommencement conditions – and permission will only be released once a variation to the original legal agreement has been completed.”
Members of the planning committee will decide whether to follow Mr Bradbury’s recommendation and grant permission at the meeting, which is due to take place next Tuesday in Matlock Town Hall’s council chamber.
The meeting starts at 6pm.