Erewash pub access issues - plans set to be approved

Plans to turn a pub into a shop on what is said to be one of Derbyshire’s worst congestion hotspots look set to be approved.

Local Democracy Reporter Eddie Bisknell said that the project, managed by David Swann Architect, would see the former Bulls Head pub in Little Hallam Hill, Ilkeston, turned into a convenience store and five flats.

The applicant’s details have been totally redacted in the application documents.

Erewash Borough Council officers have recommended that the plans are approved at a meeting next week following a deferral from councillors in February for further talks.

Those further talks related to concerns over delivery vehicles not being able to access the site safely and without major impact on an already notoriously congested roundabout.

Derbyshire County Council, which is responsible for highways, had said the scheme was acceptable in February and has reconfirmed this position following further talks, saying the old pub also had deliveries and no issues were raised.

It says lorries would be able to enter and leave the site in a forward gear and have suitable turning space, which had been a concern of residents and councillors.

The county council says the plans “are therefore considered to be a betterment on the previous situation”.

A total of 14 residents have objected to the plans due to the loss of the pub, that an additional shop is not required due to others nearby, that the delivery vehicles would clash with the customer parking and access for homes, and that traffic data for the route past the site was outdated.

Borough council planners, recommending approval, wrote: “The tracking diagram shows that a lorry of a typical size for servicing a small shop, like the one proposed, can enter and leave the site in a forward gear. 

“As noted by the highway authority, this turning facility is an improvement on the historic nature of the site, which never had off-street turning space for deliveries. 

“Deliveries by larger lorries is considered to be a low risk for a small shop (just as it would be a low risk if the pub use were resumed) and it would not be practical to restrict the size of vehicles serving the site.

“The car parking has been amended so that a parked lorry would not prevent the continued access and egress of customers’ or residents’ cars from Little Hallam Hill. 

“The amendment has also moved the disabled parking space so that it could still be accessed during deliveries.

“In regard to traffic data, the previously approved applications did not involve assessing such data because the amount of development falls below the thresholds for requiring a transport statement. 

“This remains the case for the current application and the highway authority has not required such data in order to conclude that the proposal is acceptable.”

When the plans were debated in February, Cllr Dave Snaith had said: “Anyone that drives through Ilkeston knows that this is one of the most congested routes and often has tailbacks that go all the way into Ilkeston because of this junction.

“I cannot believe DCC highways have not objected on safety grounds alone. Anything bigger than a transit van will not be able to exit the site in a forward gear, as is required.

“It is already the most congested junction in Ilkeston, if not the whole of Derbyshire.”

An opposing resident dubbed it “one of the most congested junctions in Derbyshire” saying there was no safe crossing point for pedestrians who may want to access the new store.

The former Bulls Head had operated as a pub for more than 200 years, with the resident saying: “Ilkeston has lost its identity and its history and this is another nail in the coffin.”

David Arrowsmith had said the plan “flies in the face of common sense” and that a store would attract more traffic than a pub, despite the county council’s suggestion otherwise.