Plans for a business park near Kendal have been refused by the council due to concerns the proposed development would have an unacceptable impact on road safety.
Members of the strategic planning committee for Westmorland and Furness Council turned down plans from L & W Wilson Ltd, against planning officers’ advice, to construct Woodlands Business Park off Gatebeck Lane.
A decision notice issued by the council said: “The proposed development would have an unacceptable impact on highway safety and would have a severe residual cumulative impact on the surrounding roads.
“The proposal hasn’t established a current baseline traffic flow and therefore the impact cannot be assessed accurately.”
The committee previously considered the proposals at a meeting in September but a decision was deferred for councillors to make a site visit.
According to planning documents, the proposed business park would have consisted of six new employment buildings each consisting of 929 square metres.
Local resident Clive Greenhalgh told the committee the plans had received over 80 objections which he described as indicative of the community’s belief that the proposed development is ‘undesirable’ and would have a negative impact on their lives.
Mr Greenhalgh told the committee Gatebeck Road and Gatebeck Lane are used as a recreational amenity for the community with cyclists, walkers and horse riders for exercise.
“This month I became a first-time grandfather, if traffic increases will I take my granddaughter for a walk in her pushchair on these roads with even more HGVs and delivery drivers in a hurry, I don’t think so”, he added.
The proposals also faced opposition from Preston Richard Parish Council who labelled the allocation of this land for business use as wholly inappropriate.
The parish council said the allocation of land for business use should be re-evaluated through a new local plan before any development is given the go-ahead.
However, a report from planning officers concluded: “The development would not result in unacceptable detrimental impacts on the appearance of the area, ecology and would not compromise residential amenity inside or outside the site, subject to the application of suitable conditions.
“Concerns regarding highway safety and HGV access can be suitably controlled by conditions.”
