SNUB IN PROSPECT FOR REVISED PLAN TO CONVERT GRIMSBY CLUB TO CONVENIENCE STORE

  Planners fear the conversion project could create highways hazards

                                                          

A DECISION is due to be made this Wednesday  (March 3) on a new application to convert the former Conservative Club on Bargate to a Co-op store.

This is a revised application from the one refused last year on highway safety grounds.

But North East Lincolnshire Council planning case officer Jonathan Cadd has not been reassured by the new scheme's tweaks, fearing there will still be significant hazards for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists around Bargate, Wellowgate, Augusta Street, Abbey Road and Brighowgate.

Accidents could take the form, the authority believes, of  nose-to-tail shunts, head-on collisions or side swipes. 

Many residents have objected to the store scheme, noting that traffic complications could bring increased risk to pedestrians on their way to and from  St James School to the north and Grimsby Institute to the south.

Equally, substantial residential areas surround the site, leading to further pedestrian movements to the town centre for jobs, recreation and shopping. This factor adds to the concerns.

However, on the other side of the coin, a shop would bring an empty property back into use, and it would doubtless be well-supported, particularly for top-up shopping or by those seeking to pop in for a pinta, a paper or a packet of toffees.

In a report recommending planning committee members to refuse the latest proposal, Mr Cadd states: "The proposed development would result in a severe adverse impact on highway safety, road and pedestrian safety by reason of conflicting traffic movements in an already complex network of junctions and limited road widths."