DC Casebook: Mixed-use Development - Car park deemed public transport threat

Planning, 9 May 2008

The inspector accepted that use of the site as a car park was unlikely to generate more vehicular movements than would be associated with a permitted scheme for 727 flats. However, he found that car boot sales on Sundays would result in unacceptable congestion and danger to other road users through extensive roadside parking. The level of attraction to such activities is often unrelated to site parking capacity, he remarked.

As the site lay within 1km of the northern part of the city centre, he anticipated that the car park would prove attractive to commuting motorists. He was concerned that the scheme would undermine local and national policies to encourage the use of public transport and reduce use of private cars by attracting extra traffic onto already busy roads that were also well-used bus routes.

As the residential permission had some three years to run, the inspector refused to accept that the temporary use would delay permanent redevelopment of the site. Moreover, he recognised the appellant's desire to make some productive use of the site in the interim. However, he did not find these aspects sufficient to outweigh the objections to the proposal.

DCS Number 100-054-569

Inspector Edward Simpson; Written representations.