Developers denied earlier deliveries to site of 119 homes
ABID to allow earlier delivery times for wagons accessing a controversial housing development has been blocked after allegations were aired of breaches of the existing agreed hours.
Gleeson Homes applied to Rossendale council for a planning permission condition variation to allow HGV movements to its 119-home Spring Mill site in Whitworth in an additional 45-minute window between 7.15am and 8am.
The application, which received no complaint from highways or environmental health officers but had ten public objections, was refused by councillors at last week’s development control committee.
That overturned the recommendation to grant from officers, who earlier told the meeting they did not consider that refusal “can be substantiated, given the lack of any statutory objections”.
The developer said they were “disappointed” with the decision, and will continue to follow the rules.
A “strong” objection was lodged by Whitworth Town Council, whose statement in the agenda report claimed: “The developers have continuously broken conditions for delivery times while they have been onsite, and extending the permitted hours further would be unfair to neighbouring residents.”
A covering letter with the plan, from development consultancy Pegasus Group, requested that the permitted hours be brought into line with those agreed last summer in an application to demolish and redevelop Whitworth Community High School.
It stated: “The aim of the variation is to alleviate the current restrictive time slots, improve construction efficiency at the site, but also to prevent any conflicts during the drop off and collections at the nearby school. In order to achieve this, it is requested that additional delivery times are allowed at the site, specifically between 07:15hrs and 08:00hrs. The times suggested will also reflect a previously approved planning application at Whitworth High School. The approval of the application at Whitworth School, is clear in that it is ‘to avoid peak traffic on the surrounding highway network during term time.’ It is considered that there would be no disruption if similar delivery times were applied to both developments.”
Local councillors Dayne Powell and Alan Neal both spoke from the floor against the proposal.
Coun Powell said he received calls and emails on a daily basis about the developers “continually” failing to meet the current application.
“It’s a safety concern for
pupils,” he added.
“My young children have been woken up by deliveries to this site when they’ve come outside the proposed hours.”
Coun Alan Neal said he receives “15 to 20 emails a week” on the issue.
“They can’t stick to the time conditions that they’ve got now,” he claimed.
“Would you want traffic trundling past your house at 7.15, because I suspect it’s going to be 6.15 or even 5.30, because they don’t understand what conditions are there for.”
Head of planning Mike Atherton told the meeting a prosecution file has been sent to Legal Services and they are deciding if there is enough evidence to prosecute on the grounds of breach of access of the site.
He added: “We are receiving regular complaints; hence why we
have got a prosecution file ready. If the application was successful it would widen the approved times in which HGVs could access the site.”
However, the meeting also heard that the enforcement team had “had difficulty” with the fact that outside the site is a public highway which the developer cannot be prevented from accessing.
Complaints from residents had included stationary lorries parking up in residential areas waiting for the site to open.
Coun Liz McInnes said: “We have just heard that the conditions have, according to the residents, been breached.
“I’m just wondering, is the application an attempt to prevent the conditions being breached? Is that the rationale behind it?
“We have got an issue with this company which
obviously shouldn’t affect this decision, but by agreeing it are we just perpetuating a nuisance that people are going to complain about? An attempt to legitimise operating out of hours.”
After Coun Gemma Rooke asked why the high school could accept deliveries at the earlier times, the meeting heard that access to the school was more direct and involved less disturbance to residential amenity.
After the hearing a Gleeson Homes spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with the decision but will continue to observe all necessary local rules and requirements as we work hard in bringing much needed new homes to the area.
“Working alongside our neighbours and communities is very important to us.”
“They can’t stick to the time conditions that they’ve got now.”