The following press release has been issued by Kirkland Developments today:Community views influence store plans Stockport-based developer Kirkland Developments is preparing its detailed planning application for a town centre foodstore in Marple following a recent period of public consultation. The company has today announced how its proposals have changed to reflect the views the community expressed during the consultation.
Kirkland has made significant changes and additions to the plans as a direct result of the feedback gathered from Marple residents. Residents told Kirkland to look further at traffic along Church Lane, particularly where it adjoins Trinity Street. As a result, Kirkland will be proposing a package of measures along Church Lane to reduce vehicle speeds in combination with a raised junction at Church Lane/Trinity Street designed to further reduce speeds and increase visibility.
Furthermore, Kirkland’s application will seek to formally ‘adopt’ the Trinity Street highway, allowing for effective enforcement of parking restrictions which will help to prevent illegal parking. Residents had commented that vehicles often park in awkward locations along Trinity Street, creating a build-up of traffic.
The changes have been made to reflect the feedback received from the community. These are detailed below.
· The formal adoption of Trinity Street in the proposals so that parking restrictions can be enforced and therefore help to prevent illegal parking and unnecessary queuing
· A package of measures along Church Lane to reduce vehicle speeds and a raised junction with Church Lane and Trinity Street in order to increase visibility and reduce speeds on the junction approach
· The inclusion of a filter lane for traffic turning right from Stockport Road into Trinity Street, to prevent queuing
· The introduction of extra disabled parking close to the store entrance
· The inclusion of cycle parking at the foodstore’s Trinity Street level as well as the provision already included as part of the rooftop car park
· Provision of appropriate enhanced boundary treatment to mitigate the affect on surrounding residents
· The introduction of an appropriate boundary treatment to the eastern edge of the car park in order to prevent headlight glare into homes on Chadwick Street
· Kirkland will fund a consultation regarding parking for residents along Chadwick Street, subject to agreement with Stockport MBC
· Kirkland will bring forward a car parking management strategy on the site, subject to agreement with Stockport MBC. This will introduce measures which will seek to address the car parking needs of town centre shoppers, residents and shopkeepers.
The changes follow the announcement of the strong levels of support that Kirkland received for the plans, with 91% of people attending the exhibition and completing a feedback form stating their support for the scheme.
Rod Hogarth, Kirkland Developments’ Managing Director, said:
“We have listened carefully to the Marple community throughout our consultation and we’re committed to proposing a foodstore which will be a valuable addition to the town. As a result, where people have told us our plans need adapting we have done so wherever possible. I know that traffic is a concern and our proposals now take this into account, with improvements to be made along Church Lane and Trinity Street.
“We hope that our revised plans will satisfy residents and we look forward to submitting them to Stockport Council in the near future.”
For more information, residents can visit
www.marpletowncentrestore.co.uk or contact the dedicated community information line on 0161 247 8417.
