Safety concerns raised over Burger King's plans for Chesterfield site

At present, the outlet – just off Brimington Road in the Whittington Moor area of the town – provides indoor seating and parking for up to 45 cars.

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Under the proposals, parking would be reduced to 39 spaces and an outdoor seating area would be built.

But Alan Morey, major sites officer at Chesterfield Borough Council, has outlined a series of concerns about the plans as part of the consultation phase.

“It shows no details at all for how pedestrians or cyclists will access the building from either the adjacent Travelodge or the road and cycle network,” he said.

“As shown on the site layout plan, pedestrians would have to access the restaurant by walking through the car park, amongst manoeuvring and waiting vehicles.

“This is unacceptable and in conflict with local and national policy and I would suggest a reason for refusal in itself if it is not addressed.

“The applicant should be asked to provide a plan or plans clearly setting out how pedestrians and cyclists will access the site and building in a safe and convenient manner.”

Mr Morey also said he had worries about access to the proposed drive-thru.

“I am concerned that the access to the drive-thru is, effectively, through a hotel car park – it does not have direct access to the road network,” he said.

“This means that occupants of the hotel arriving on site will need to navigate their way through drive-thru traffic after leaving their vehicles.

“This does not appear a particularly safe or practical approach.

“No information on the amount of traffic is provided with the application but given the nature of the proposed use it can be expected to be significant.

“The applicant should provide a transport statement that considers the potential traffic generation and how any impacts of this might be mitigated.”

Burger King submitted a planning application to the borough council last month.

The Derbyshire Times asked Burger King if it wanted to respond to Mr Morey’s concerns.

However, the fast food chain had not responded by the given deadline.

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