Sainsbury revises plans after safety issue revealed thanks to councillor (East of England Liberal Democrats)

East of England Liberal Democrats <info@eastlibdems.org.uk>

Sainsbury revises plans after safety issue revealed thanks to councillor

January 18, 2012 11:22 AM
Originally published by Cambridge Liberal Democrats

Giant supermarket, Sainsbury has revised its drawings for a new metro-style store in Mill Road after Cambridge City Councillor, Sarah Brown revealed the threat posed by a key feature in the plans.

Cllr Brown, who represents Petersfield, was worried by inaccuracies in the design of the loading bay for the new store.

The plans showed the pavement being wider than it actually is meaning that the loading bay would obstruct it putting pedestrians, including those with pushchairs and wheelchair users, at risk.

She expressed her fears about safety during a planning meeting and Sainsbury's application was refused.

Thanks to pressure from Cllr Brown, Sainsbury has now issued updated diagrams correcting measurements for the loading bay which is the subject of public consultation as to whether land to the west of it should be designated public highway.

Cllr Brown said: "Sainsbury planners seemed to be suggesting that a layby in front of the loading area could double up as footway when it's not in use for loading. It seems to me they're asking people to step into the road. What about when the bay is in use? The pavement would be blocked.

"Would this require wheelchair and pushchair users to cross the road to the other footway at this point, from behind a parked lorry?

"We were told this is one of the worst blackspots in the county for accidents - what was being proposed here is completely unacceptable to my mind."

"The same drawing of the loading bay with the incorrect measurement was used in the consultation" added Cllr Brown. "I identified that the east end was simply wrong. It showed the pavement being wider than it is, and the whole diagram didn't show where the extent of the new pavement would be."

Now Sainsbury has released updated plans, which shows the land to be designated as pavement is only 45 centimetres wide.

"I was astonished when I saw the new plans which show only a 45cm wide strip of footway left when the loading bay is in," said Sarah. "