CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a Co-op on the car park of a Kendal pub have been recommended for refusal by Cumbria County Council

A proposal to build a Co-op on the car park of the Duke of Cumberland on Appleby Road has been recommended for refusal by Cumbria County Council over concerns the project could 'interfere with the free flow of traffic'.

Last year the pub's brewery, Punch Partnership Limited, submitted a planning application to South Lakeland District Council to build a Co-op on the site car park which caused huge anger in the community.

More than 400 residents registered their objections to the plans and the application was subsequently withdrawn.

New plans have since been re-submitted, however local councillors have vowed to ‘put up a fight’ to stop the proposal from being approved.

Councillors Doug Rathbone and Eamonn Hennessy said they were disappointed by the news and that they were interested to see how the new application would address previous objections raised, such as the safeguarding of local businesses and the issue of additional traffic on the already busy junction.

However, Cumbria County Council has formally recommended to the South Lakeland District Council that the plans are refused due to traffic concerns.

The refusal letter states: "The proposal has the potential to interfere with the free flow of traffic with consequent danger and inconvenience to all highway users by virtue of its increase in turning traffic in proximity to existing junctions and absence of adequate on-site parking space."

Highways also contributed a response, which states: "The proposal would add further complexity, and potential for conflict, to the range of traffic movements that occur at an already busy and complex series of junctions where queuing traffic is a common occurrence and a factor in the accident history.

"The proposal would reduce parking availability while significantly increasing the demand for parking.

"The proposal reduces parking availability on site to 23 spaces and says that unrestricted on-street car parking is available.

"Useable service space is proposed from a layby on Appleby Road but this is to the detriment of the existing footway."