A Planning application has recently been submitted by the Church to build 3 flats on the Summertown car park which will drastically reduce parking.
Below is a copy of the objection submitted on behalf of OSD by Richard Stanczyc, addressed to Graeme Felstead the case officer at Oxford City Council and to the two ward councillors involved. This application has the potential to reduce the parking spaces to 9 at best. There have been many objections from the hall users and also from Michael Collier the hall treasurer. If you would like to add objections individually the details of the people to mail are as follows.
Graeme Felstead
planning@oxford.gov.uk
Jean Fooks
clnrjfooks@oxford.gov.uk
Andrew Grant
cllragant@oxford.gov.uk
Comments for Planning Application 16/02177/FUL
Application Number: 16/02177/FUL Address: Land Adjacent
Summertown Church Hall Portland Road Oxford Oxfordshire OX2 7EZ Proposal:
Demolition of existing garages. Erection of a 3 storey building to provide 2 x
3-bed flats and 1 x 4-bed flat. Provision of car parking for 12No. vehicles
with new vehicle access and bin store.
Case Officer: Graeme Felstead
Customer Details Name: Richard Stanczyc, Holymans Barn, Frog
Lane, Cuddington,
Bucks.
Comment Details Commenter Type: Amenity Group
Stance: Customer objects to the Planning Application
Comment Reasons: -
Access - Amount of development on site –
Effect on adjoining properties –
Effect on existing community facilities –
Effect on traffic –
Parking provision
Comment:
As a regular user of the church hall, I am opposed to the
plans to develop the hall car park. The church hall is a community facility
used by many groups throughout the week. I am a member of Oxford Swing Dance
which uses both the upper and lower halls for classes on Wednesday evenings
throughout the year. The plans to develop the hall car park - specifically the
decrease in parking spaces - will degrade the church hall's utility as a
community facility. Indeed, I believe that the plans will force my group, which
has been using the church hall for some 3 years, to consider alternative venues
in order to preserve the viability of the group.
My group, which has been using the church hall for some 3 years,
attracts dancers not only from Oxford but from many of the surrounding towns
and villages. Dancers not based in Oxford, such as myself, cannot feasibly use
public transport due to its decreased frequency in the evenings, and rely on
parking spaces in the hall car park or nearby roads. The car park is always
full on a Wednesday evening, and dancers arriving late usually have great
difficulty parking at the far end of Portland Road, if not in adjacent roads.
The hall car park and nearby roads are also used by people visiting shops and
restaurants in Summertown, as well as residents who do not have off-road
parking. The decrease in parking spaces will increase pressure on the available
parking, inconveniencing not only hall users but residents alike. Of the
proposed 12 parking spaces, 3 will be reserved for occupants of the flats.
Hence only 9 for hall users. Since the flats will be two 3-bedroom and one
4-bedroom, it is highly unlikely that the occupants of each flat will have only
one vehicle each. Therefore, they will use more than 3 of the parking spaces. On
Wednesday evenings there is often in excess of 20 cars in the car park!
In addition the
proposed plans for effectively 9 parking space are potentially dangerous for
several reasons. Firstly, the new parking spaces are down a narrow side access
route, which will be used by both vehicles and pedestrians. This could be a
hazard, particularly in the dark. Secondly, because the parking spaces are
behind the flats, it will be impossible to see if there are any spaces without
driving down there but there appears to be no room to turn around if there are
no spaces left, requiring drivers to reverse back down the narrow access and
onto Portland Road. Indeed several vehicles may need to do this at once. Given
the potentially increased vehicle activity in Portland Road, this is another
potential hazard. Thirdly, the relative remoteness and isolation of the new
parking spaces, not visible from the road, places people, in particular, single
women who comprise many of our dancers, at potential risk particularly in the
evenings when we hold our classes.. These safety issues will apply to all users
of the parking spaces, including occupants of the flats.
On Wednesday evenings and other times when we use the
hall I, and several of my dancing
colleagues, will often need to unload equipment that we use for our classes and
other events . If we are unable to get into the new parking spaces or find a
nearby parking space in Portland Road, we will have to stop - causing a
potential obstruction - in order to deposit any equipment at the foot of the
hall and do the same at the end of the evening.
In summary, the reduction in the number of parking spaces
will be detrimental to the church hall's function. The proposed new parking
spaces are unacceptable for several reasons including access, visibility,
safety and lack of loading/unloading space. Of course, during the proposed
development there will be no parking spaces at all, and increased disruption in
Portland Road. For all the reasons above
I trust that you will reject the proposed plans.
