ON 15th August Poole Council’s planning committee approved an application for intense residential development on a piece of land within the Twin Sails traffic gyratory system between West Street and West Quay Road.

While the building of affordable housing on this site is welcome, the application was granted without any certainty that (a) the approval would deliver a high quality pedestrian and cycle link through the site; (b) the through route approved would not become a rat run for motorists; and (c) the access on to West Quay Road would not compromise future road lay outs in this major road system.

Indeed committee member Cllr Woodcock was reduced to saying that he “hoped” these objectives would be achieved.

The planning committee is dependent on council officers negotiating with developers to achieve clear commitments to specific improvements in the public realm and traffic systems in advance of planning committee meetings.

If this is not achieved, committee members find it difficult to reject applications on such items alone and the borough ends up accepting a poorer quality of development than it needs to.

If the planning and transportation departments do not improve their quality standards before the major regeneration area applications come to committee, Poole’s flagship development sites may end up as dense, urban sprawl lacking the pleasant and safe access routes that are essential for successful communities.

CLLR MARK HOWELL, Market Street, Poole