Planning refused for Spar at Lake Garage

Planning permission for a Spar at the former Lake Garage in Smithybridge has been refused

Planning permission has been rejected for a controversial Spar supermarket at the site of the former Lake Garage on Smithy Bridge Road.

Originally submitted in 2017, the application had been resubmitted in January this year, following an amendment to the way lorries would deliver goods at the proposed supermarket.

www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/115738/planning-application-for-controversial-supermarket-development-resubmitted

The application was refused on 1 August for several reasons, including “undue harm to pedestrian safety” and “unacceptable obstructions of the highway to the detriment of highway safety”.

The decision notice also mentions the road is narrow, and used as an emergency motorway diversion from the M62.

Proposed pavements and paving ‘did not meet adoptable standards’, and would have been ‘likely to cause confusion’ for the visually impaired.

The proposed supermarket site would also have been “contrary to policies of the adopted Rochdale Core Strategy and policy in the National Planning Policy Framework.”

Lake Garage closed earlier this year after 65 years of business.

www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/1/business-news/117093/lake-garage-to-close-after-65-years-of-business