By John Baron
Plans to convert a former car showroom into a grocery store at the busy Five Lane Ends junction in Wortley have been refused amid concerns over parking and highways safety.
Applicant Loghman Ahmadi wanted to open the shop between 7am and 11pm daily on Oldfield Lane, off the Five Lanes roundabout.
Six letters of objection came from residents and Cllr Adrian McCluskey (Lab, Farnley & Wortley), with concerns including highway safety, noise and disturbance and sale of alcohol near a school.
A Leeds City Council planning officer’s report upheld concerns over parking.
It concluded: “The proposal is considered to have an unduly detrimental impact on highway safety and has failed to demonstrate that the site can provide off-street parking without vehicular and pedestrian conflicts within the site or the avoidance on off-site parking that would create highway safety concerns close to the mini-roundabout junction at Five Lanes.”
The premises was recently an ice cream parlour.
The planning application, which was submitted in May, asked for a retrospective change of use from a car showroom to a grocery shop, with eight cycle spaces.
A design and access statement submitted by the applicant stated: “The site’s integration within a well-served transport network and its proximity to multiple public transport links underscore its sustainable location.”
The council’s licensing sub committee last month granted Mr Ahmadi permission to sell alcohol at the proposed store.
The plans can be viewed in full here.
Its right that this has been refused on the basis of parking provision, but amazing that the alcohol selling element has been so easily approved by the council and West Yorkshire Police. They both seem determined to ensure that alcohol is available in as many places as possible across the city, no matter where it is.
I totally agree with the comment above by Idsbfd- I couldn’t have put it better myself.
I agree with both comments above. Five Lanes is a dreadful junction and people making bad parking decisions would make it even more difficult to navigate