Parking congestion ‘puts people’s lives in danger’

2:33pm Tuesday 30th September 2008

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RESIDENTS' lives are being put at risk from over-development, Basingstoke planners were told.

The development control committee at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council heard a fire engine had taken six attempts to reach an address in Millard Close, Oakridge, Basingstoke, due to illegally-parked cars.

Concerned Millard Close resident David May and Norden ward member Councillor Paul Harvey told the committee of the incident.

Cllr Harvey said: "There are cars parked in front of garages and blocking each other. A fire engine took six attempts to get there to put out the fire.

"People's lives are being put at risk and the residents feel under siege with all the development going on."

The issues were brought up during a debate on an application to convert a property in Millard Close into two one-bedroomed flats. It was unanimously refused on the grounds of bin clutter and loss of an amenity.

A planning officer told the development control committee the issue about access, as raised, was not a strong enough reason to deny further flat conversions in the close.

This year, the borough council has lost all but one of the appeals against several similar applications it refused between September 2007 and July 2008.

Development control manager Giorgio Framalicco said: "Of the nine or 10 appeals, none have been dismissed on the grounds of parking, so I think other reasons, such as bin clutter, are a stronger case for moving refusal."

Basingstoke fire station manager Ryan Thurman told The Gazette there was no record of a fire vehicle taking six attempts to reach an incident at the close.

However, he added: "Firemen did report that it was difficult to reach the property due to the car parking."

The development controversy deepened recently when Sentinel Housing Association claimed it had a legal covenant on the homes preventing conversion without its permission.

However, so far the association has not sought to enforce the covenant.