Friday May 17th 2024
Plans were lodged to create a driveway behind flats on Lothian Street, Bonnyrigg.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Planners refused permission for a flat owner to create a driveway in their garden after measuring the space and ruling it was too small for a car.
The applicant wanted to build the off road parking space behind the property on Lothian Street, Bonnyrigg, however his plans fell short of planning expectations.
A report on the application revealed that the driveway would measure 4.6 metres, well below the 6 metres considered a standard space.
It said the short driveway could lead to a vehicle overhanging the pavement forcing passers by to walk on the road.
One person objected to the proposed driveway saying out would remove street parking space which was already at a premium.
Planners responded saying the loss of a kerbside space would be cancelled out by the driveway taking a car off the road.
Despite this they ruled road safety would be at risk because of the shortness of the parking space.
They said: “During a site visit the case officer took various measurements to see whether a car could be safely accommodated at the proposed driveway at the application site. The depth of the driveway at a width of 3m as measured from the boundary with the neighbour would be 4.6m, still well below the standard length required.
“The resultant driveway may result in parked vehicles overhanging and obstructing the public footway for pedestrians, including wheelchair users and parents with prams/pushchairs, resulting in users being required to walk/move on to the carriageway.
“This is clearly undesirable and would not be in the interests of improving road safety.”
They added: “It is noted that the council has introduced recent changes on pavement parking where penalty charge notices may now be issued if a vehicle is parked on the pavement. The purpose of the legislation change is to make sure users can travel safely including people in wheelchairs and children in buggies. It would be counter-intuitive to allow a situation where a car could overhang the pavement.”
The application was refused on the grounds of road safety issues.
Tweet Share on Facebook