Battle delivery office expansion plan rejected

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.ryeandbattleobserver.co.uk/n ... 4486603.jp

Published Date: 12 September 2008
By Lynda Turner
Proposed modifications and an extension to the Battle Royal Mail delivery office were refused at Rother's planning committee meeting in Bexhill on Thursday.

The Royal Mail Group's planning applications consisted of a modification to a vehicle storage covered area, an erection of extension to the sorting annexe, an erection of a detached timber workshop and an erection of an extension to the sorting annexe.

The delivery office, which is situated to the rear of Battle Post Office within the town centre conservation area, only has a single width car access, which leads to the car park at the rear.

The town council had opposed the application due to concerns that it would, 'add already serious congestion in the area and be exacerbated by the presence of large delivery vehicles'. In addition was the consideration that there would be 'an unacceptable over-concentration of buildings on a small site in a conservation area.'

With two hundred and forty five new house soon to be built within the locality, traffic movement through Battle High Street was a major concern for councillors debating the application, with some suggesting that a larger, more accessible site away from the town centre would be more favourable.

Planning was refused on the grounds of access and the impact on pedestrians, with the application for the erection of timber framed buildings being refused on the grounds of the suitability of the materials used within a conservation area.

The extension would have housed Robertsbridge delivery office which left its previous home in the village Post Office at Christmas.

The delivery office is currently located at the Robertsbridge Club.