Appeal loss leaves Bovis in need of access to estate

18 March 2009

Housbuilder Bovis Homes has lost its planning appeal against Bolton council’s refusal to allow an estate’s access road to be single lane and controlled by traffic lights.

The developer was granted planning permission for an 85-home estate on the condition satisfactory access could be agreed, and was happy until it discovered part of the land on which it wanted to access the estate was owned by other parties.

In a bid to get round buying up enough land to build a two lane access road, it proposed to Bolton MBC that access would be by traffic lights controlling the direction of traffic along a single-lane section of road and a narrow footpath on one side.

Bolton claimed that such an arrangement would be dangerous for pedestrians and that some emergency vehicles would have difficulties reaching the new estate. Bovis appealed the decision. The company, which is now left with 85 homes it cannot sell, said it would be looking at its options following the planning inspector’s decision.

A council spokesman said: ‘The council was always concerned that Bovis’s proposals to change the access would have created problems for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. We are pleased the inspector has supported our decision to refuse permission.’

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