Roads department raise concerns about supermarket site
COUNCIL roads chief Jane Bridge has branded some details of the developer’s assessment on the suitability of the Barnkirk site for their controversial Newton Stewart supermarket proposals as “incorrect”.
DG First was a consultee ahead of the proposal coming before the council planning committee, and Ms Bridge, the team leader for DG First in Wigtownshire, has raised various concerns in her report to the planning department.
She said the site was “not well placed for active travel” as it was far from the town centre, that the A75 was a high-speed road and there was no footway or lighting in the vicinity.
Ms Bridge said: “Substantial mitigation is required to make the proposal acceptable regarding road safety, including the construction of footways on both sides of Barnkirk Road and footway/footpath links from St Couan’s Road, Blairmount Park and Glebe Crescent, together with street lighting, road drain- age, provision of suitable crossing points for pedestrians at both sides of the access junction, reduction of the speed limit to 30mph, together with traffic calming measures such as gateways, narrowing of the C52w and provision of traffic islands.”
There was further concern from local authority officers about the traffic flow model pro- vided which, she said, “appeared to be incorrect”. It shows the majority of vehicles accessing the proposed store will be travelling east on the A75. Ms Bridge argues that the majority of vehicles will be travelling west from Newton Stewart and Machars towns and villages.
Speeding on St Couan’s Road was a regular concern of residents there and traffic calming measures would be required given the significant increase in traffic along the road should the supermarket plans go ahead, she added.
Plans by developers CWP for a store on the outskirts of the town have divided opinion for almost a year now. Some residents welcome the variety of shopping it could provide while others say it will signal the death of established retailers in Newton Stewart’s main street.
The matter will be decided at a future meeting of the council planning committee.
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Tuesday 21 May 2013
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