Concern as lorries to be forced onto Ludlow housing estate

Councillor Viv Parry, who represents Ludlow on Shropshire Council has approached a senior planning officer after she heard that lorries delivering to the Foldgate Lane development would be using the nearby roads rather than exiting on to the A49 due to a steep slope.

“I understand that it is not suitable for them to exit on to the A49, as cars speed along there at up to 60mph and it is an accident waiting to happen but instead, Highways has said they can use Foldgate Lane to enter and exit the site,” said Councillor Parry.

“The main incline from the estate on to the A49 is too steep. We have always said that but we have previously been ignored. Now it seems they have seen sense but at the detriment of people living nearby. I spoke to the council’s planning officer and asked him to approach the council on it.”

Grahame French, Shropshire Council’s principal planner, said: “In November 2016, outline planning permission was granted on appeal for construction of 137 homes on land at Foldgate Lane, Ludlow and the county planning authority is currently determining an associated reserved matters application to facilitate the development.

Difficult

"A planning condition attached to the outline permission requires that no construction work shall commence until the access point off the A49 has been constructed.

“However, the applicant, Crest Nicholson Ltd, has advised that it will be difficult for initial construction works to commence from the A49 given that the access point is located on a steep highway embankment.

“They have therefore entered into dialogue with Shropshire Council, as the relevant planning and highway authority, to see if it is feasible to obtain an initial construction access via a short stretch of Foldgate Lane, a minor road which runs through the northern part of the site. This would be subject to appropriate restrictions.

“Any such proposals would require a separate planning application seeking to vary the access condition attached to the outline permission, and this has not so far been received. If an application is submitted it will be subject to a full planning consultation process.”

Councillor Parry added: "I want to see someone within the council about this but when we last spoke to them they ignored us. I am astounded that they are considering allowing this to just go through. It is not great for the people living on Foldgate Lane.

"They initially promised us that traffic would not go down there. Although when planning permission was granted they said that lorries would exit on to the A49 but they knew that would never happen and they would have to use Foldgate Lane. They have known that for a long time."