West Lothian homes plan rejected over fears road would become 'death trap'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Plans to build six houses on a former quarry site in East Calder have been rejected after neighbours raised fears for road safety around their homes.JB Developments ltd have had permission in principle to the develop the site at Raw Holdings since 2016.

The Local Review Body overturned a prior refusal and allowed a plan for six two homes on the brownfield site.There were 43 objections to the detailed plans however, and objectors told a recent meeting of the Development Management Committee that allowing construction lorries onto the single track access road would be “a death trap”.Planning officer Wendy McCorriston said the application was solely for approval of detailed plans.

Mrs McCorriston said some of the objections had already been addressed, and access to the site had already been granted as part of permission in principle.But the key argument of neighbours centred on the private road they all share to access their homes- and the only road to access the site.The area is a mixture of new homes being built to the north of Raw Holdings by Persimmon and the smallholding bungalow cottages which neighbour the former quarry.The owners of the smallholdings own the road, though ownership of the road is not a material planning concern.Marilyn Nisbet lives directly opposite the old quarry, and her family has lived in the area for seventy years.

She told the meeting that the road had recently been tarred at a cost of £70,000, paid for by her and her neighbours.“The road is single-tracked, it’s not suitable for heavy lorries.