PLANS to provide six rapid Electric Charging Bays close to Warrington town centre have been rejected by town planners due to loss of open space.
Swarco Smart Charging Ltd was seeking the provision of Electric Vehicle Charging Bays and Associated Works on Land on the North side Of Kendrick Street, Warrington.
The proposal seeks planning permission for the installation of an Electric Vehicle Rapid Charging Station containing 6no EVC bays and associated infrastructure including hard surfacing, new vehicle entrance, a substation, floodlighting, bollards, signage and 2m high feeder pillars / EV upstands.
The proposal consists of multiple elements, the primary one being the creation of an allocated area comprising six electric vehicle charging bays which would be positioned an equal space apart and would be adjacent to and facing toward Midland Way. Each space would contain a charging upstand circa 2m high and 405mm wide. The hard surfaced area would be roughly 444m² of the site
and the proposed substation would be a 6m by 5m building with a flat roof height of 2.18m high. The floodlighting columns would be 4m high. The proposal also includes a sustainable drainage system which is referred to on the plans as a vortex flow control. This element has been included to prevent surface water runoff onto the public highway.
The site originally contained terrace housing and was called Park Place on Warrington Borough Council mapping from 1897 however since
circa the 1970’s and due to the construction of Midland Way, the housing was demolished and the site has remained undeveloped to the present day and now consists of a wedged shaped parcel of grassed highway land. The site fronts onto Midland Way and now sits between two contemporary buildings, namely a 4 storey Travelodge and a 3 storey commercial office building currently occupied by Torus Housing.
The site is open and is bounded by low timber rail fencing. There is a row of mature trees to the north western edge of the site however these are not within the site boundary. The site faces the railway embankment across Midland Way and affords open views towards Kendrick Street and Bank Park beyond. The site occupies a prominent position and is visible when travelling into or out of the Town Centre along Midland Way. The nearest houses are situated to the north side of the railway and due to the embankment, have no view of the site.
The existing site is a previously developed, but currently greenfield parcel of land between Kendrick Street to the south, Midland Way to the north, and Travelodge Warrington to the east.
The site topography is generally flat, but with a slight fall to Midland Way to the north. There is evidence that the site has been used for temporary works and construction and the has been infilled in the past with material from the development of adjacent sites and projects.
The site has no paved areas and is planted with short cut grass and some areas of trees and vegetation, which is being retained. The site has an existing access to Kendrick Street, and this is to be retained.
But planners have ruled the proposed development would result in an unacceptable loss of open space, the majority of it a green and visually prominent open amenity space which makes a significant contribution to the Town Centre streetscape and the visual amenity of the area by providing greenery and a visual break between dominant buildings which line the frontage of a main route into the Town Centre. The openness of the space also allows uninterrupted views to a landscaped area beyond.
In addition to the loss of a visually important open space, the proposal would also introduce visually obtrusive structures and illuminated elements which would unduly dominate the frontage of the site and harm visual amenity and detract from the open and natural character of this area. As such, the proposal is contrary to Policy DC6 of the Local Plan.
The proposal would result in the loss of Green Infrastructure and as such would conflict with and undermine, the aims of Policy DC3 which seeks to protect, enhance existing Green Infrastructure and extend the multifunctional network in order to maintain and develop the wider public health, active travel, flood management, climate change, ecological and economic benefits it provides. The proposal would also fail to preserve the connectivity provided by a public pedestrian route which traverses the site and provides a link to other Open Spaces.
The proposed enhancements are not sufficient to offset the loss of Green Infrastructure which would occur as a result of this proposal.
