Mixed-Use Development
Planning application: Hybrid: detailed application for a mixed-use development comprising discount food-store and other retail units; outline application for residential apartments.
Local Planning Authority: Rushcliffe Borough Council.
Highway Authority: Nottinghamshire County Council and National Highways.
Outcome: Allowed at appeal.
Planning Application
Connect Consultants was instructed to provide highway design advice to the project team, including Whittam Cox Architects and Freeths Planning Consultants, and to produce a Transport Assessment and Travel Plan to support the hybrid planning application.
Our Transport Planning Team engaged in pre-application scoping with both Nottinghamshire County Council and National Highways to agree the scope and methodology for the Transport Assessment, for which we commissioned traffic surveys at the agreed study junctions to obtain the baseline traffic flows for the traffic assessment and modelling.
Our Design Team provided design input for the proposed two access junctions, as well as the internal roads and parking layout.
National Highways raised no objection to the proposed development as it was satisfied that the traffic impact on the Strategic Road Network would not be significant, however Nottinghamshire County Council requested some additional analysis using alternative data and assumptions within the assessment.
We undertook the additional analysis and worked with the Council to reach agreement on the results of the traffic modelling, after which the Highway Authority published its approval of the proposed development, subject to some improvements to mitigate the development traffic effect.
Despite the Highway Authority’s approval, and a recommendation of approval from the Planning Officer, the Planning Committee voted to refuse the development for three reasons, including one relating to traffic impact and highway safety.
Appeal
We were subsequently instructed to support our client through the appeal process, for which we prepared a Statement of Case against the refusal, focussing on the highways-based reason for refusal.
The appeal was allowed by a Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State, who agreed that the Transport Assessment is based on reasonable data and assumptions, complying with the relevant standards, guidance, and policies. He concluded that that the information provided is sufficient to demonstrate that the proposed development would not result in significant harm to highway capacity or safety.
Delivery
Our Design Team was retained to undertake the detailed design work for the access junction for the retail part of the approved development, including road, footways, lighting and drainage.
Through ongoing dialogue and collaboration with Nottinghamshire County Council, Technical Approval was granted for the Section 278 works at the site access.