AMBITIOUS proposals for a £75million business park close to the Cheltenham Road roundabout look set to be given the green light by planning chiefs, the Observer can reveal.
The ‘Avon Business Park’ has been put forward by developers St Modwen on land to the south of the current sprawling Vale Park site and the 50 acre site could create up to 1,000 jobs once completed.
Warehouses, industrial units and offices together with a pub, restaurant, hotel and car showroom are among the business planned for the vast new site which is spread over the eqivalent of more than 50 football pitches.
As part of the application, the often congested Cheltenham Road roundabout on the A46 will be improved to accomodate the entrance to the proposed new park.
The plans follow a public consultation held in November 2015, where local residents were able to take a closer look at the proposals and submit comments.
Planning chiefs at Wychavon District Council have been recommended to give the green light to the scheme when they meet on Thursday (August 23) after Highways England offered no objections to the development.
County highways chiefs have asked for the application to be deferred after raising concerns over the site’s cul-de-sac layout which would limit access to one road off the roundabout.
“The applicant proposes a toucan crossing on the A46 to connect the site to Cheltenham Road.
“Whilst this is in part addresses access on foot and cycle the A46 is still a barrier to movement and this site will also have an impact on traffic flow,” a county council spokesman said
Town council chiefs have given the project the thumbs-up and backed the job opportunities created by the proposed new park.
Despite the backing, councillors have revealed their concerns over flooding with the Charity Brook running through the site and have called for High Street retailers to be barred from the development to ensure another out of town shopping centre is created.
“There are concerns over the road infrastructure, currently the roads including the roundabout cannot cope with the traffic, and this development will put further strain on this. This should be further investigated,” a town council spokesperson said.
“A lorry park should be part of the scheme. At present, many lorries delivering to Vale Park will park in residential areas around Davies Road.
“This has a negative impact for residents, in terms of noise, pollution, appearance, and the general waste that some of these lorries leave behind,”
The Vale of Evesham Civic Society is among the 22 objections to the application which will be discussed from 2pm on Thursday at the Civic Centre in Pershore.
Peter Rudd, Development Director at St. Modwen, said: “The proposed scheme represents significant investment in Evesham, creating new business premises and around 1,000 job opportunities in a high profile location whilst providing excellent transport links for potential occupiers via the A46 and the M5.”
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