Agenda item

Use of land as a bus park for up to 30 buses and erection of 3 containers to provide staff facilities (Use Class Sui Generis).

Recommendation: Refusal

RESOLVED – That this item be deferred.

Officers introduced the report and provided an overview of the application. Planning permission was sought for the use of land as a bus park for up to 30 buses and erection of three containers to provide staff facilities. Officers highlighted the addendum and made a recommendation for refusal.

A petitioner spoke in objection of the application. The petitioner told the Committee that a residents association had been formed to voice resident concerns, in light of the buses that appeared in the area a year ago. The petitioner submitted that the application should be refused on the grounds of safety to road safety and the impact on local residents in the area. The application should be refused based on vehicular movements out of Wallingford Road; this is not acceptable and dangerous. Large vehicles, HGVs and buses have no choice to travel except to mount the footpath or cross over into the path of ongoing traffic to exit the road. The council has an obligation to protect everyone. The implication of additional large vehicles on an overcrowded road cannot be permitted and there are parts of the road where two vehicles cannot pass together in opposition. A local site has now been completed and it is unknown how many HGVs and vehicles will now leave the site which will increase the business adding more pollution, noise, traffic and potential for accidents. The residents are concerned about peak hour traffic flow and movements during period of darkness. This will affect residents’ health and being. Residents were here first, and Hillingdon council strapline is putting residents first please uphold this.

In response to Member questions, the petitioner confirmed that buses appeared a year ago. Last June buses were noticed, and there were a lot of issues and multiple issues. Buses were accessing an illegal road built on the south side.

The applicant for the site addressed the Committee. The applicant informed the Committee that five and half thousand staff were employed , there were 100 contracts and 14 garages. Ne of the consequences was overnight parking and the 14 garages were required to run the service. The current agarge in the centre of Uxbridge, is currently full and provides all the servicing, engineering and washing that the services requires and is a satellite site. The selected location in an industrial area as it is close to the garage. There is little movement in and out of the garage, mainly in the morning and ate vening. Just need opportunity get the buses from any parking site and where they need to start their routes. Seeks to improve public areas, the buses used now are increasingly quieter, environment friendly and they are better and have lower impact then other vehicle on industrial estates and that is the direction of travel. The issue at the junction but drivers are training and part of the training is not to run over pavements and it is avoided. There have been no coalitions on the site since it has been there. If vehicles cannot b parked on this site not sure if there are any other suitable sites in Hillingdon, but moving else where will be difficult.

In response to Member questions, the applicant confirmed that only been operating this route for a year in and out of that junction, although no assessments have been undertaken as to whether two buses can travel on the road at the same time, regular risk assessments are conducted on the routes that are served. Vehicles will leave in the morning and return at night. Applicant was not aware that planning permission was required for the site, but it was clarified that the applicant was using another site down the road not that site that there were using planning permission for. Broad estimate last bus leaves at 4:30 – 8 and evening 8 – 2.

The Committee acknowledged the pressures on bus companies for parking space, and Uxbridge bus garage is not big enough. It was acknowledged that this garage had been operating for a year and there had been no incidents in the past year, busing crossing the central reservation was such a common occurrence if not allowed bus routes not be able to operate. We urgently need public transport for residents. Some Members requested to see the operation at the junction to make a full and informed decision, see buses manoeuvre and risk assess.

Members questioned the unauthorised access to the site or another site that is being used. Officers stated that this was not pertinent to the determination of the application.

Members were interested to see the amount of movement during the hours suggested by the operator. Many vehicles were going over the curb area, the bus movements would be an additional to the existing problems.  

The officer’s recommendation was moved, seconded, and when put to a vote, three voted in favour and four abstained.

In light of the safety concerns raised, Members put to a vote whether a site visit should be conducted and a demonstration of buses movement, the extent they move into the opposing carriageway. A motion for a deferral of the application to allow a site visit to be undertaken was moved, seconded and when put to a vote four voted in favour and three against.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee defer the application to allow a site visit to be undertaken.