A proposed mobility buggy storage building at a Cirencester retirement complex has sparked safety concerns among residents. The development would be situated within the busy Priory Mews car park off Trafalgar Road, prompting worries about the risk to elderly buggy users navigating the car park while entering and exiting.
Resident Roma King submitted a formal objection to the local council, highlighting the car park’s heavy use by residents, tradespeople, and large refuse vehicles. She urged planners to carefully consider the safety implications of locating the buggy store in this area. King emphasized the potential hazards posed by the mix of pedestrian and vehicular activity in a confined space accessed via a busy road.
The planning application, filed by Places for People Limited, requests permission to construct a single-storey, standalone disabled buggy store on a raised section of the car park currently used for washing lines. The modest 36-square-meter structure is designed to improve accessibility and provide a secure storage solution for residents who presently lack adequate facilities for their mobility equipment.
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According to the submitted Design and Access Statement, the building will be finished with materials matching the existing warden-assisted flats, and positioned discreetly to remain out of sight from outside the property boundaries. This is intended to minimize visual impact on the surrounding area.
Although adjacent to the Gloucester Street and River Walk Conservation Area, the accompanying Heritage Statement asserts that the new structure will not harm the conservation area’s setting. It explains the store’s location was carefully selected to conceal it from views of the meadow land within the conservation area. The design reportedly aligns with the common architectural themes present in the neighborhood.
While local authority and heritage officer feedback has not yet been documented, the planning application appears to anticipate concerns by emphasizing the building’s low profile, sympathetic design, and potential benefits for resident welfare and mobility.