REDDITCH Eastern Gateway developer Stoford has been given two key conditions to fulfill by Stratford planners.
Last week district councillors gave outline planning permission for the £85million project which will see 32 hectares of land either side of the A4023 Coventry Highway and bordered by the A435 turned over to business and industrial use.
However a key issue is the route HGVs serving the site will take, particularly with the A435 south through Mappleborough Green and Studley already at capacity.
Councillors ripped apart Stoford’s suggested HGV routing plan – a series of warnings leading to an eventual ban for drivers heading south – and demanded the developer comes up with something better.
In addition they insisted Stoford works with a steering committee of local residents and elected representatives to oversee the development.
District Councillor Justin Kerridge (Studley North & Mappleborough Green) said failure to comply with either condition could result in planners not looking favourably on any future planning applications from Stoford for the site.
“At the moment all Stoford have is permission to build an entrance to the site and if they want to put any buildings on there they will have to come back to the planning committee,” he said.
“The steering group is to make sure the people of Winyates Green and Mappleborough Green get representation and the committee very strongly suggested that it also looks at the robustness of the HGV routing strategy.
“This needs to work for Studley and Mappleborough Green and from what I have been told I am confident this is possible,” he said.
Coun Mark Cargill, chair of Stratford planners said: “We spent over four hours debating this plan and I feel disappointed that Redditch and Bromsgrove councils, regarding the amenity of their residents, did not go into it as thoroughly.”
