Agenda item

Comments/statements from members of the public included;

(summarised)

·       Concerns that this turning head was poorly planned and an unsafe space for pedestrians and cyclists;

·       The turning head should be located elsewhere for safety reasons;

·       The cycle route needs amending to come around the north west side of the Honeysuckle house to join the park on the other side;

·       Walkers and cyclists safety would be compromise if this application was approved;

·       The application sought to make some minor amendments to the vehicular entrance to the compound area and did not affect the operation or design of the permitted pumping station, water booster station or gas pressure reducing station facilities;

·       The purpose of this Section 73 application is to vary the approved plans to allow for a larger vehicular turning head off Comeytrowe Lane at the entrance to the Pumping Station. These amendments have been included at the request of the County Council; and its inclusion will enable vehicles sufficient space to manoeuvre and turn around at the end of Comeytrowe Lane once the road is closed to through traffic;

·       Since approval in 2021, further improvements to the site wide cycleway have also been reque4sted to meet the County’s latest guidance on cycleway specifications. For completeness, we have therefore identified the latest cycleway details on the revised pumping station compound drawings for which approval is sought. The updated cycleway proposals are very much a betterment for cyclists;

·       The pumping station equipment and facilities remain unaltered with the increase of the perimeter of the compound enclosure to meet the very latest ‘Design and Construction guidance’. The Gas Governor has also been rotated in orientation to better suit the proposed new width of the vehicle turning head and footway/cycleway;

·       The proposal was detrimental to existing residents;

·       Concerns with vehicles reversing over a cycle walkway;

·       Further audits needed before the application is decided;

·       The turning point needed to be sited elsewhere for the safety of residents and children using this route;

·       Concerns with flooding in the area;

·       The Parish Councils have registered their objections to the current proposals;

·       The application needs to be deferred for the developers to come up with a safer option;

At this point in the meeting (4:20pm) an extension of 30 minutes was proposed and seconded.

Comments/statements from Members included:

(summarised)

·       Concerns with the safety of the tactile part on the cycleway/walkway;

·       This was an improvement and safer than the current lane;

·       The developers have a blank canvas, so this is a perfect opportunity to reroute the cycleway;

·       Concerns with the multi-use cross roads;

·       Concerns with the loss of trees in the development;

·       Alternative sites need to be considered;

·       Cycle route needs re-routing with the turning head left in place;

·       Concerns with the safety of the staggered barriers to slow cyclists down before they reach the bottom due to the gradient drop between the top of the site and the bottom of the road;

·       The path needed to be generous to accommodate both cyclists and walkers. It also needs to be kept free from hedgerows/weeds;

·       Concerns with the area being used for parking for leisure purposes;

·       Google Maps would need to be informed that the road would be closed for satellite navigation systems;

·       Accessibility needs needed to be met so that people using trikes ect can get through the gates;

·       This application needs to be deferred for a site visit;

At this point in the meeting (4.50pm) the final 30-minute extension of time was proposed and seconded.

Councillor Coles proposed and Councillor Habgood seconded a motion for the application to be DEFERRED for a site visit.

The motion was carried.

At 4:55pm Councillor Mark Lithgow left the meeting.