Adolf wasn’t such a bad chap

If the author of the planning application – to demolish the Bay Leaf restaurant, in Bollington, and construct a new Sainsbury’s store – were to write an appraisal of Adolf Hitler no doubt it would go something like:

“A fine painter. His many friends would lay down their lives for him. He loves children – often being photographed with them – or his Alsatian dogs, which he simply adores.”

Most of us would recognise that although being true – it’s a complete distortion of what we all know about the real man and his character.

The planning application documentation does much the same – claiming to have achieved the impossible by making the Wellington Road and Grimshaw Lane junction safer with the proposed development.

Anyone taking the time to watch cars attempting to exit the existing car park will appreciate this is complete nonsense.

Sure the new building will be set back a few metres from the road – making it easier for exiting cars to see traffic coming from the north (Pott Shrigley), but it certainly won’t make it any easier to see traffic coming from the south (from Macclesfield) – which is the more dangerous manoeuvre.

The applicants state that during the earlier ‘consultation’ objectors had drawn irrelevant parallels with the old Co-op store – before it moved from Albert Road to its new site. As they obviously don’t live in Bollington they won’t have seen the continuing traffic issues with the new store.

The word we have from regular Co-op shoppers is that as a result of several minor shunts or near misses every day most locals have taken to parking on the road.

So traffic exiting the car park has to negotiate the parked cars as well as oncoming traffic  – don’t believe me? Go check it out – at peak time.

The same will happen at the Bay Leaf site. Shoppers will soon come to realise that exiting the car park is a lottery – and, being human, they’ll take the easiest option and park anywhere on the main road they can. There are no double yellows on the bad bend – so that means there – which will make entry and exit doubly dangerous.

And what happens if the not-very-large car park is full, as there’s only one entrance/exit? How will drivers know before they commit to entering? Rather than calmly waiting for spaces they will attempt to reverse their vehicles out – onto the main road.

Of course we’re assuming that everyone will follow the rules and not park on the double yellows, but again, if the old Co-op is a guide, everyone will ignore the double yellows. And, as these days the police aren’t concerned with such minor issues the only option would be a permanent traffic warden – fat chance of that.

No one is denying that the Co-op needs competition, or that Bollington can sustain another mini-supermarket – we’re just saying it’s madness to put one there.

Yet again, I have to ask, what in heaven’s name is Cheshire East Highways department playing at – not raising any objections – are they mad, blind, both – or do they moonlight as advisors for the developers?

This application is nothing short of insanity – if sufficient Bollington folk object – this ludicrous scheme may just get stopped.

If they don’t, and it gets approval, someone will be seriously injured – or worse.

In the event of approval – I’d suggest that those in favour have their excuses and denials penned and ready.

If you want to comment on the application go to: http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/planning/view_a_planning_application/view_a_planning_application.aspx and key in the application number 15/3674M .

For a guide to making comments go to: http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/planning/view_a_planning_application/how_to_comment_on_applications/how_to_comment_on_applications.aspx