You have until March 7th to tell the Planning Inspectorate what you think about the appeal against refusal of planning permission at 14 Cambridge Road, Stansted.

The appeal reference is: APP/C1570/W/15/3141191. The refused planning application reference is: UTT/15/1666/FUL.

You can write to the Planning Inspectorate on their planning portal at: https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk or by emailing: teamp1@pins.gsi.gov.uk. THREE copies of letters and documents can be mailed to: The Planning Inspectorate, 3/09 Kite Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol BS1 6PN. See a letter from the council to residents here.

The following are my thoughts on what I will be telling the Inspector.

WHAT IS THE DAMAGING EFFECT OF THIS REFUSED APPLICATION?

The impact of increased vehicular traffic leaving the site between the existing Tesco store and the proposed new shop would increase dangers to pedestrians and motorists because sight lines are poor. Drivers’ ability to see pedestrians will be blocked by the wall of the Tesco store. The visibility  of moving vehicles on the busy B1383 road is frequently blocked by large delivery vehicles in the delivery bay outside Tesco and by other vehicles legitimately parked on the roadside.

WHY WOULD AN ALLOWED APPEAL INCREASE THE LEVEL OF TRAFFIC COMPARED WITH PAST USES OF THE SITE?

The appellant wants to over-develop the site by building 10 homes and two commercial premises. A traffic level assessment has shown that the appealed scheme will generate three times the amount of traffic compared with the previous authorised use. This scheme is over-development (too much crammed into the site) that would cause the higher traffic levels that would lead to a higher safety hazard.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER DEFECTS IN THE APPEALED DESIGN?

Yes. There are only about half the number of parking spaces needed to serve the development. Many of the spaces are in tandem; i.e. one space behind another so that they will be used inefficiently and be inconvenient to use. The people who live in the houses are likely to find that commercial visitors use their spaces; as the residential spaces are all arranged in tandem, the residents are likely to be blocked in and unable to leave the site by car. Alternatively, the commercial workers and visitors will park on Cambridge Road where they will aggravate a congested parking area; or they will take spaces in the adjacent public car park that has not been designed for use by new developments that are not self-sufficient with their own parking spaces. There is no designated disabled parking provision.

SHOULD ANY DEVELOPMENT ON THIS SITE BE OPPOSED?

No. It is important that the site is regenerated with acceptable developments of the right design and scale.

SO IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO ALLOWING THIS APPEAL?

Yes. The site owner should employ a developer who will work with the local community, including the parish council, to design a scheme that will overcome as many of the traffic dangers and chaos in Cambridge Road as are possible to achieve. This should include a one-way system for vehicles into the site from Cambridge Road but not back out at that hazardous point. Vehicles could exit the site via the Crafton Green car park, which belongs to the parish council, and Chapel Hill. This would also allow a relief for existing parking congestion and disorder on Cambridge Road by providing a simple and ready access to the public car park. By jointly redesigning both the appellant’s land and the parish council’s land a viable win-win scheme should be achievable that would bring sustainable, long-term benefits to this area of Stansted.

Don’t forget the March 7th deadline! I will post my own full representation on my blog in the next few days.