New Stafford home approved despite safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists

A new home can be built in Stafford despite calls for it to be refused permission on safety grounds.

Stafford Borough Council’s planning committee gave the green light for a two-storey self-build home and detached double garage and annex on land between Radford Bank and Ripon Drive at its meeting on Wednesday (October 21).

Committee member Councillor Ann Edgeller proposed the application should be rejected because of concerns for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists using a path between Radford Bank and Ripon Drive. The proposed access for the new home is off Ripon Drive and crosses the path.

But Staffordshire County Council’s highways department raised no objections to the new home, subject to conditions. Councillor Edgeller’s proposal failed to gain enough support from fellow committee members, who went on to approve the application by seven votes to two.

Weeping Cross and Wildwood ward councillor Julie Read called the application in for consideration by the planning committee. She raised concerns including safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists and loss of amenity through disturbance for neighbours.

Stafford Borough Council received one public objection to the proposals. Ian Smith, who spoke at Wednesday’s planning committee meeting, said: “Our main concern is on safety, but also the main building is on one side of the site and the annex is on the other.

“This is a known national aspect of getting permission to initially build, and then apply for a variation to change the annex into another dwelling. They applied for permission for two four-bedroom dwellings (in 2023) and that was refused on the grounds the site was incapable of dealing with the number of associated vehicles, which would have to leave the site in a forward (position) because they are crossing onto the cycle track, on top of which the county council gave permission to be turned into a driveway.

“Ripon Drive is a long, descending, sloping road which encourages cyclists to reach a fairly high speed by the time they reach the entrance (to the path) at the bottom of the hammerhead. Vehicles coming out of the site have very limited vision of what is coming down Ripon Drive and the walkway outside the track is heavily used by pedestrians, disabled people and cyclists, many of which now have converted to electric vehicles.

“I consider it to be an extreme danger to pedestrians and cyclists and would therefore ask you refuse permission for this development.”

But committee member Councillor Ian Fordham said: “It would seem to me that there has been quite a lot of mitigation, they have tried to make things as safe as they possibly can. Highways seem comfortable and our officers seem comfortable.”

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