Safety concerns over a “dangerous” street on Lynch Lane Trading Estate in Weymouth fell on deaf ears when proposals to convert a former Weymouth chip shop into a car wash were approved, despite fierce local opposition.
The Dorset Council has given the go-ahead to change the use of the former Littlesea Fish Bar – but neighbors, local council and the owners of the nearby Littlesea Holiday Park fear that the additional traffic will worsen existing road safety problems. It comes after a woman was tragically killed near the site by a reversing truck in November last year.
The application approved on Tuesday included a subsequent application for permission to replace the shop front with a roller shutter.
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The plans show that there is space for five cars on the outside and space for cleaning two cars on the inside. The shop is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will employ up to five people.
The Dorset Council said 12 objections had been received. Neighbors fear the business could exacerbate problems with limited vision while driving and pose a threat to pedestrians and road users.
A spokesman for Bourne Leisure, the park operator, said it was “important to have safe access” for its guests, of whom there are said to be 50,000 each season, as well as the park’s 300 employees.
Reportedly, an investigation in July this year found that a pedestrian, Sarah Lewis, 62, of Weymouth, was killed when she was hit by a truck driving back in McKay Close.
The coroner noted that the truck driver had maneuvered due to the number of cars parked in the area and that the Dorset Council has since added yellow lines to prevent too many cars from parking there.
The fatality was described as an “unfortunate accident” by a neighbor who said she lived on Lynch Lane for 12 years and watched it get “progressively worse and more dangerous” up and down the street, we have an equestrian center with horses, who are tried to move, and then we, the residents, with animals and children who try to go about our lives without being run over by speeding drivers.
“I stopped counting the number of times I walked past a hidden driveway on this street and almost got hit because the crowd of parked cars blocked the driver’s view.”
Another neighbor said she was involved in an accident on Lynch Lane, adding, “I was driven into my car by a truck backing up from Mackay Way due to the parked cars obscuring the view Driver blocked, which meant that I have a new wing and also medical care from the impact. ”
One alleged that drivers blocking access to her property verbally abused her when asked to move.
Another neighbor said: “The area of Lynch Lane and the surrounding business park is already overcrowded with auto shops. The roadside, including the pedestrian zones, is littered with abandoned and disused vehicles.”
Another said, “The amount of cars and trucks speeding down the street is a constant nightmare. There is already a car wash, there is no more space for cars on this street.”
However, after new information was provided, the Dorset Council planning team concluded that the change in use would not affect road safety. One official said, “Any change in traffic figures by customers and staff at the fish and chip shops in this busy area would be insignificant.”
Additional information provided by the applicant indicated that there is an area surrounded by a drainage gutter for three cars to be cleaned / reconditioned, while an undrained area keeps two cars waiting.
“Once the additional information has been submitted, this cannot be upheld as an objection to the proposal,” said a spokesman for the Dorset Council.
In addition, the community demanded the construction of bicycle parking spaces for the washing staff.
