Alterations to access and exit plans for a new supermarket and coffee shop in Spalding look to have persuaded planning officers to approve the proposal.
First mooted more than a year ago, a supermarket and drive-thru Costa Coffee were proposed alongside the A16 near the McDonald’s roundabout in Spalding – but there were major concerns about the potential for traffic issues on both the A16 and the A151, which is already a bottleneck.
But the applicant, Commercial Development Projects Ltd, submitted alterations in June which will see entry to the site only via the A16 with a slip road and exit only onto the A151 with a left turn.
The Costa Coffee Drive-Thru will have internal queuing capacity for more than 20 cars which also help alleviate concerns over traffic backing up.
A report to members of South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee next Wednesday recommends the proposal is approved.
“The proposed development was considered unlikely to result in significant adverse impacts on local town centres. The proposed development is therefore considered acceptable,” the report says.
“Although it is considered reasonable to conclude that some degree of landscape harm would arise through the loss of an agricultural field, the extent is considered to be minor and not significantly diverse,” it continues.
An earlier application had drawn concerns from the county council’s highways department, but the new layout and changes ‘were deemed acceptable.’
It says that while the conclusions of a transport assessment differs from objectors, there had been no ‘contradictory tangible evidence or assessment.’
Cycle group PEDALS objected and said there is no safe opportunities for cyclists or pedestrians to access the new businesses.
The fact there would be an increase in traffic movements does not equate to harm being caused, says the report.
The application says the proposed, as yet unnamed, supermarket would be ‘mid-scale’ and could provide 98 full-time jobs. There would also be 185 parking spaces including electric vehicle charging spaces.
