Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Following an appeal by Newton Post Office and Post Office Ltd the Planning Inspectorate for Wales today granted planning permission for an external "Free to Use" Bank of Ireland ATM at 15 Newton Nottage Road.
The Appeal Dated 11 Nov 2009 States:-
I allow the appeal, and grant planning permission for the installation of an external ATM at 15 Newton Nottage Road, Newton, Porthcawl CF36 5PF in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref P/09/2/FUL dated 19 December 2008 and the plans submitted with it, subject to the following condition:1) The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than five years from the date of this decision. The Council does not object to the proposal in design or appearance terms, and as it would not result in any fundamental alteration to the appeal building, I do not disagree. As a consequence, there would be no adverse impact on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area, which would be preserved. The main issue is the effect of the proposal on highway safety interests. From what I saw, this is an area of high parking demand. Nonetheless, there is a one way system which limits traffic to one direction, and the narrow conditions, exacerbated by parked cars, encourage slow speeds and the exercise of care by drivers. Newton Nottage Road is not a principal thoroughfare which attracts passing motorists. Rather, it is the focus of a small number of shops, including the Post Office which serves the surrounding village, and undoubtedly residents of the nearby caravan park. It is likely therefore that a number of visits to the ATM would be combined with trips to these services. Moreover, in the evening when the shops are closed, on-street parking pressures would be less, particularly as most houses to the east of the Post Office, including Chop House, have off road parking facilities. In the circumstances, and notwithstanding the limited provision for footways, I do not consider that the proposal would result in any material risk to the safety of road users, or conflict with the objectives of Policy EV45 of the Bridgend Unitary Development Plan.
We are naturally extremely pleased with this decision and would like to thank everyone who supported us in our appeal. We are sure the installation of a "Free to Use" external ATM at the office which is scheduled for 9th December 2009 will be of benefit to residents of Newton, Danygraig, Trecco Bay and surrounding areas.
