We have just been notified of the appeal for the application to build 5 properties on the High St (behind Dolphin Cottage). The Parish and East Staffs Borough Council do not support the application, but, having sought expert advice, we believe that there is a real possibility that the planning request may be approved. You may have been aware of this application in its earlier stages, however we were not, and we now have until the end of this week to draft a response to the appeal. We am seeking your opinion because we are of the view that 5 houses on the small site is excessive. The parking and access to the site is insufficient and we support the Parish Council in the belief that it will pose a hazard to residents and the children of the school, as well as adding congestion to our village. We personally have an objection because the site shares a boundary with our property, therefore we am prepared to do the work in collating the information, all we are asking you for is a quick vote to state your support. The developer has planning permission already for 2 dwellings, so we are seeking your support for the statement: "2 Houses on the Dolphin Cottage site is sufficient, 5 houses is too many". We have listed some fuller detail on the application and the objections below, if you have time and appetite to read on. We need to post our response to the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol on *Friday 5th August*. If you would like to join us in objecting to the building of 5 dwellings on this site then please sign our petition as soon as possible. If you want to add any additional comments for inclusion to the Planning Inspectorate then please email me at: [email protected] Planning Application for 5 houses behind Dolphin Cottage, High Street Abbots Bromley. Brief Background: The Parish Council has objected to the application based on safety concerns relating to the access to the site The Borough Council rejected the planning application based on similar safety objections The developer has lodged an appeal, and the case will go to the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol for a final decision next week An application for 2 houses on the site has already been approved Objections: 1. The plans allow for insufficient car parking spaces for the proposed dwellings. This will lead to an increased number of vehicles parking on the High Street. This raises the following issues Congestion on the village, especially at weekends (the 4 pubs make Abbots Bromley a destination for people at weekends). Increased danger for pedestrians who will need to cross the road between parked cars. Increased congestion will add significant risk at school drop off and collection times. More parked cars cause difficulties for those using buggies. Parked cars opposite driveways make access more difficult and cause traffic delays on the High Street. 2. The access to the site is narrow and is close to a blind bend. This raises the following concerns: Safety of pedestrians and motorists travelling through the village will be compromised by vehicles pulling into and out of the access point Safety concerns for those using the access point to access the new houses, given the blind bend The blind bend means that even if oncoming traffic were travelling at the speed limit of 30MPH, a significant hazard exists. In reality cars often travel through the village at even faster speeds The Parish Council objections were in line with the comments above, therefore we would urge you to support these objections with this petition. There is a very real possibility that the planning appeal will be upheld for the following reason: The Highways survey does not object to the application. This is because the property is currently licensed as a business premises, therefore the Highways have calculated the potential traffic the business could generate if it were fully operational and utilising the full site. They are therefore suggesting that 5 houses would be an improvement to the existing traffic to the site. If you are familiar at all with the site, you will know that the steep and narrow access means that this site could never operate at the level that the developer is suggesting (149 visitors per day). Therefore there is a very real possibility that the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol will approve the planning application, based on a set of wholly unrealistic assumptions.