A controversial application to build a public car park off a residential street in a Lake District town has been recommended for refusal by a town council sub-committee.
Cumbria County Council wants to build a 29-space site next to Applethwaite Green care home in Phoenix Way, Windermere, but has been met with vocal opposition from residents.
In the face of concerns over the narrow width of the road and the potential for the project to cause traffic issues, the county council has assured the public that a road safety audit is to be carried out to identify risks associated with the proposal.
Windermere Town Council’s planning sub-committee has now told the national park authority, from which the county council is seeking approval, that it believes the application should be refused.
Town mayor Cllr Adrian Legge, who is on the committee, said the residential nature of Phoenix Way and its lack of pavement made it an ‘inappropriate’ place for a car park.
“We were concerned about the traffic aspect, because Phoenix Way is very narrow,” he said. “Two cars cannot pass between the A591 and the entrance to the car park, so it was inevitable that it would cause traffic difficulties.
“Once the car park is full, vehicles would either have to turn round using private property further along Phoenix Way, or turn around using the restricted space in the car park, or reverse onto the A591. It would cause traffic back-up.”
A county council spokesman said, however, that the new car park would provide enough room for vehicles to turn round ‘so that there should be no need to drive to the end of Phoenix Way’.
“Whilst narrow, and only a single-lane width for a short section, Phoenix Way is passable for two-way traffic as it currently operates – but localised traffic conflict does occur, hence we have requested that a road safety audit be carried out,” he said.
“A long-stay car park, as per our recommendation, would generate fewer trips and thus less conflict of two-way traffic on the upper, narrow section of road.”
