Residents’ victory over car park plan
ACOMMUNITY has scored a planning victory after a car park was given the go ahead by councillors.
Cheshire East Council has approved the application to build a car park on open land next to Belong Care Village on Kennedy Avenue, Upton Priory, after years of ‘nightmare’ traffic problems which some claim may have contributed to a fatal accident.
Officers had recommended the application be refused due to the loss of public open space.
But they were criticised for having ‘double standards’ by Coun Liz Durham who slammed officers for failing to protect Green Belt in the recent King’s School plans.
She said: “Cars and vans blight the road, buses can- not pass. The level of congestion may have contributed to a fatality in the area last year. You (planners) won’t allow 14 per cent loss of community space but will allow 50 acres of green belt for a private school’s development.”
And Coun Nick Man- nion also ridiculed the decision after it was revealed the council’s assets department had previously offered to lease it as a car park.
Belong Care Village has a 72-bed home and 18 one-bed apartments but only 30 car parking spaces, including six disabled spots.
For many years residents have complained of daily parking issues on Kennedy Avenue, Millbank Drive and Brampton Avenue, caused by staff, visitors and delivery vehicles. In November 2014 the council agreed to lease 900 sqm of the land between the care home and the shops for a 30-space car park.
But the scheme submitted two months later was rejected by the council’s parks development manager because the loss of the existing public open space would be “contrary to council policy” and “unacceptable”.
The scheme was first debated by a northern planning committee in April, but deferred for more information.
When the committee met again on August 10, Town councillor Gareth Jones said the ‘nightmare’ congestion even prevented private ambulances from collecting dead care home residents.
Speaking after the meeting, Coun Jones hailed the decision as a victory for pragmatism and praised the committee for listening to the views of the community.