THE GREEN light has been given to plans to build 74 homes on the site of the former county buildings in Stourport, despite concerns over parking.
An application for the construction of 31 affordable homes, as well as 43 affordable independent living homes for people aged 55 and over, was approved by Wyre Forest District Council’s planning committee last week.
The 0.725-hectare brownfield site was previously home to the county buildings and was used for fire and police stations, a medical centre, a library and a coroner’s court by Worcestershire County Council before they were relocated.
The proposal is looking to build a mix of three and four-storey buildings with undercroft parking and would provide a mix of two, three and four-bedroom properties.
In addition, 29 resident car parking spaces and 90 cycle parking spaces will be included.
The application also covers access, parking and landscaping works on the site.
In total, 11 letters of objection have been received for the application.
Complaints in the objection letters include concerns around inadequate parking, a strain on existing community facilities, increased traffic and pollution and a loss of privacy.
Coun Marcus Hart said he was amazed at the 90 cycling spaces, given that there were only 74 homes.
Coun Fran Oborski said she was really worried about the lack of parking spaces and said she would be stunned if that many cycling spaces were used.
Planning officers said, as the focus of the development was sustainability, the large number of cycle spaces and fewer spaces were deemed acceptable.
They added if councillors pushed for extra parking, it would not stand up in appeal and could lead to a huge reduction in the quality of the development and its green space.
The Transport Assessment stated the development would not generate a significant level of traffic and would have a negligible impact on the road network.
The development was considered consistent with the Wyre Forest District Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework and was deemed to achieve sustainable development on the site.
