Sty Lane, Bingley – Public Inquiry, another Success for our Clients
On Friday 23rd September 2016 the long awaited Decision letter for the Secretary of State and Inspector’s Report on an application by Redrow Homes Limited and Bellway Homes Limited was issued. This was for planning permission for the erection of 420 to 440 dwellings, the removal of an existing vehicular swing bridge and its replacement with a vehicular and pedestrian swing bridge over the Leeds Liverpool Canal, for the provision of new accesses off Sty Lane and Micklethwaite Lane, a point of access for a pedestrian bridge near the head of Canal Road, emergency and limited access off Oakwood Drive, pedestrian and cycle access to Fairfax Road, off site highway works and the laying out of public open space and landscaping.
Following this second Public Inquiry which commenced almost a year ago, between the 6th and 16th October 2015 The Secretary of State has agreed with the Inspector’s recommendation, S R G Baird (Hons) MRTPI.
The Secretary of State agreed with the Inspector’s conclusion and his overall conclusion on Highway Safety and the free flow of traffic, that when the swing bridge is in operation or when the emergency access is in use, the proposed development would not have an unacceptable effect on the safety and free flow of traffic. He agrees with the Inspector that the proposal to monitor the operation of the bridge and the emergency access procedures are such that the time between the bridge failing and the opening of the emergency access would be materially reduced from that in the original scheme, so that the flow of traffic that would use the route through Micklethwaite village would be low and would not have an unacceptable effect on the highway safety and the free flow of traffic through the village. The Secretary of State also agrees that the residual impacts of the development at such times as the emergency access had to be brought into use would not exceed the threshold of severity envisaged in paragraph 32 of the Framework.
Formal decision
Accordingly, for the reasons given above, the Secretary of State agreed with the Inspector’s recommendation. He granted outline planning permission for the erection of 420 to 440 dwellings and full planning permission for the removal of an existing vehicular swing bridge and its replacement with a vehicular and pedestrian swing bridge over the Leeds Liverpool Canal, the provision of new accesses off Sty Lane and Micklethwaite Lane, a point of access for a pedestrian bridge near the head of Canal Road, emergency and limited access off Oakwood Drive, pedestrian and cycle access to Fairfax Road, off site highway works and the laying out of public open space and landscaping on land at Sty Lane and Micklethwaite Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, in accordance with application ref 14/00293/MAO, dated 23 January 2014, subject to the conditions.
Our Managing Director , Alison France IEng, FIHE, AMICE, MCIHT gave evidence at this Public Inquiry on the main issue of impact on the highway network, the team of engineers lead by Alison and Karen Smith of Sanderson’s worked exceptionally hard to ensure all the required evidence was before the Inspector, to enable him to reach his positive recommendation.