Lorries outside Sainsbury's - a reminder

Back in January Claire Young asked people to send her details of any problems caused by lorries parking on Badminton Road outside the new Sainsbury's store in Coalpit Heath. Thank you to those who have sent in emails, sometimes with photos and videos attached. It's important that highways officers understand what is happening to help them decide what, if any, action is needed.

Do keep on sending Claire your reports. It would be helpful if you could say if the lorry was unloading/loading or just parked so the driver could buy things from the store, but the most important thing is to know when it is happening.

Parking problems outside Sainsbury's

Before Christmas residents reported a lorry parked on Badminton Road outside Sainsbury's unloading, instead of in the designated lorry bay. This made it difficult to exit the car park safely because of reduced visibility.

Claire Young raised this with both the council and the local beat manager. PC Simmons talked to the store manager, who in turn made the drivers aware of the problem. He trusts there will be no further problems from his side, however he has expressed a concern that drivers who may be customers rather than suppliers may park in the same location.

Council officers confirmed that they secured a commitment from the Sainsbury’s developer to fund a permanent TRO if parking issues developed on Badminton Road as a result of the development. However, the original expectation was that the problem would be with customers parking on Badminton Road either for convenience or because the car park was full, which could be addressed by the introduction of double yellow lines. The incident reported involved a vehicle unloading, which yellow lines would not legally prevent. That could only be done by introducing a loading/unloading ban during the store opening hours. The council could promote such a ban but it could impact on local residents.

The first step is to see whether this is a regular occurrence or a rarity. To help with that, if you see an incident, please report it to Claire so she can put together an incident log for the council. It would be helpful if you could also say if the lorry was unloading/loading or just parked, but the most important thing is to know when lorries are parking on Badminton Road near the store.

Changes to parking at new Sainsbury's

The developers have made an application for some "non-material amendments" to the planning permission for the new Sainsbury's. These would:

• Create a break in the low wall at the front for pedestrians to go through.
• Following the removal of the play area, which Wadworths felt was not needed for the customers they attract, part of that space has been tarmacked. Three car parking spaces will be relocated here from along the side of the pub. In turn this will enable 2 extra spaces to be provided along the back wall.

If you want to find out more, you can view the application on the South Glos website by going here and entering the reference number PT15/3296/NMA.

Some residents had raised concerns that the store was not being built to the approved plans. Claire raised this with the planning enforcement team at South Glos, who have investigated and confirmed it is in accordance with the plans.

Planning applications going to committee next week

Three planning applications in Westerleigh ward are on the agenda for next Thursday's Development Control (East) committee meeting.

The first is a retrospective application for Top Yard, Westerleigh, the land on the left just before the double railway arches as you're leaving the village to go towards Yate. The application is for five travelling showpeople's pitches. The applicants' status was challenged at last week's site visit by a member of the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain, but the report states there is no requirement for the applicants to be members of the Guild for them to fall within the definition of travelling show people.

The second is for a variation to a condition on the Sainsbury's Local permission. The condition restricts deliveries to between 9am and 7pm Mondays to Saturdays and 9am to 5pm on Sundays. The applicants wanted newspapers to be excepted so they could be delivered at any time. The Parish Council were concerned that this would impact on residents and that keeping it just to newspaper deliveries would be unenforceable. The officer is now recommending that papers be delivered no earlier than 6.45am.

The third is to change the use of the carpet shop on Badminton Road, Coalpit Heath into a cafe and flat. Residents have raised concerns about drainage, operating hours, noise, smell and parking arrangements.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting and speak on items. Supporters and objectors each get 5 minutes total, shared between all speakers.

Sainsbury's construction to start next month

A number of people have enquired whether the Sainsbury's Local store in the Badminton Arms car park is still going ahead. The case officer for the planning application has been informed that building work will start on 9th March.

Sainsbury's Local application given the go ahead

Plans to build a Sainsbury's Local Store in the car park of the Badminton Arms pub in Coalpit Heath were given the go ahead today by the DC (East) planning committee.

Despite impassioned pleas from local traders and residents to turn it down because of the impact it would have on the existing village shops, a motion to do that proposed by Pat Hockey was voted down. The committee went on to support the application by 7 votes to 3 with 3 abstentions.

A large crowd of objectors turned out and extra time was allowed so that a Westerleigh Parish Councillor, local trader Edwina Pennell and resident Kath Aldom could all have their say. Ward councillor Claire Young talked about the results of the survey she carried out, which attracted over 200 responses, and Frampton Cotterell councillor Dave Hockey spoke of the importance of protecting local independent shops, as set out in the Village Design Statement for the two villages. He read out a letter from the owners of Coalpit Heath Post Office demonstrating the effect the application was already having.

When the result of the vote was declared, there were cries of dismay from the packed public gallery. As news of the decision sunk in, there was a clear message from local traders - "Use us or lose us".

Thursday 8th May decision day for Sainsbury's Local application

It's been confirmed that the Development Control (East) planning committee will consider the Sainsbury's Local application at their meeting starting at 3pm on Thursday 8th May in Kingswood Civic Centre.

You can view the agenda online. As you can see from the report, the officer recommendation is approval, with a long list of conditions. This is just the officer recommendation, it will be for the committee members to make up their minds on the day.

There are 5 minute slots for supporters and objectors to give the committee their views. If you would like to speak, you don't have to give notice but it's best to contact Paul Johnson, the Democratic Services officer who supports the committee, to get yourself on the speaker list. His email is Paul.Johnson@southglos.gov.uk

Parking can be difficult on the roads around the Civic Centre, so if you are attending please allow plenty of time. Although the meeting starts at 3pm, there is another large application before this one on the agenda, the Yate cinema application, so be prepared to be at Kingswood for some time.

If you have any questions, please contact Claire Young.

Sainsbury's application to be decided in May not April

At last week's site visit, the committee chair said the Sainsbury's application would be decided at their April meeting. The case officer has now said it will not be ready until the following committee meeting, starting at 3pm on Thursday 8th May in Kingswood Civic Centre.

Sainsbury's application site visit

The site visit took place this morning for the application to build a Sainsbury's Local store in part of the Badminton Arms car park.

Claire Young spoke as local member, summarising the 200+ responses she's had to her survey. Just over 60% of those replying oppose the application. The biggest concern expressed was the impact on the existing shops and members of the committee asked for clarification on where they are. Highway safety was another worry, with reduced parking on site potentially leading to vehicles pulling up on the busy Badminton Road and concerns around the safety of the access and the location of the loading bay.

Claire asked members of the committee to look at where the neighbouring houses were in relation to the site, to consider the impact on them, and talked about the character of the village. This issue was picked up by Dave Hockey when he talked about the Village Design Statement after rain forced the meeting inside (see above). A Westerleigh Parish Councillor and two local residents also spoke about their concerns.

The meeting then moved back outside so that officers could demonstrate the footprint of the store to members. The Chair of the committee confirmed that the decision will be made at the Development Control (East) committee meeting starting at 3pm on Thursday 10th April in Kingswood Civic Centre.

Edited on 2nd April: The case officer has now informed Claire Young that the committee won't make their decision until their meeting on Thursday 8th May in Kingswood Civic Centre.

Sainsbury's Local site visit details

Members of the Development Control (East) planning committee are expected to arrive at the Badminton Arms, Coalpit Heath for their site visit for the Sainsbury's Local application at about 10.50am next Friday 28th March. The time is of course only a guide, they are visiting sites in Hanham and Kingswood first. You can find the agenda and the report online. 

Supporters and objectors each have up to 3 minutes as a group to raise their issues, so it's best to choose someone to be a spokesperson. Claire Young will have a separate 3 minute slot as the local ward councillor.

Sainsbury's application to go to planning committee

Those who commented on the application for a Sainsbury's Local store in the car park of the Badminton Arms, Coalpit Heath were today sent an email in error saying that a decision has been made. It hasn't. A later email explained that revised plans have been submitted and residents have until  27th March to comment on them.

If you have already commented and the new plans don't change your view, there is no need to comment again. You can view the plans and make comments on the South Glos website. If for any reason that link doesn't work, go to http://developments.southglos.gov.uk/online-applications/ and enter the reference number PK13/4401/F.

Members of the Development Control (East) planning committee are expected to visit the site on Friday 28th March. It is not yet certain whether it will be considered at the following committee meeting starting at 3pm on Thursday 10th April in Kingswood Civic Centre. If you would like to attend the meeting, it's worth penciling it in your diary.

If you would like to receive email updates on the progress of this application, please sign up here.

Sainsbury's Local planning application submitted

Developers have submitted an application to build a Sainsbury's Local store in the car park of the Badminton Arms, Coalpit Heath - and you only have until Boxing Day to let the council know what you think.

You can view all the plans and make comments on the South Glos website. If for any reason that link doesn't work, go to http://developments.southglos.gov.uk/online-applications/ and enter the reference number PK13/4401/F.

Claire Young will be forwarding on the views already expressed to her but it's important that people also make their views known to the case officer directly, whether for or against. The best way is to use the online comments facility linked to above but you can also email planningapplications@southglos.gov.uk.  

If you know people who have a view on this application but don't have internet access, they can use a computer at a local library or submit comments to the council in writing. Letters should be sent to Planning Applications, PO Box 299, Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood, Bristol BS15 0DR.

If you would like to receive email updates on the progress of this application, please sign up here.

Sainsbury's Local event TONIGHT

Don't forget that the information event about the proposal to build a Sainsbury's Local in the Badminton Arms car park is tonight, Tuesday 5th November, at the pub between 5pm and 7.30pm. Afterwards, please let us know your views by completing our very brief online survey.

Sainsbury's Local proposed in Badminton Arms car park

A property group is proposing to build a Sainsbury's Local store in part of the car park of the Badminton Arms in Coalpit Heath.

The pub would remain open, with the play facilities relocated to the area between the pub and Badminton Road. The store would go in the south western corner of the site and there would be a separate designated area for service vehicles and deliveries to the shop.

Box Property Group is holding a drop-in information evening from 5pm to 7.30pm at the Badminton Arms on Tuesday 5th November 2013. There will be display boards and people available to answer questions that residents and local traders may have.

When this was first rumoured in the summer, concern was expressed by existing local traders. Your Focus Team would be interested to hear your views.