A parcel locker that councillors called a ‘significant safety hazard’ must be removed or re-sited after failing to gain retrospective planning permission.
The InPost locker outside the Co-op store on the A15 Bourne Road in Morton has been blamed for cars parking dangerously outside the shop, reducing visibility at the junction of Hanthorpe Road and forcing vehicles to turn into oncoming traffic.
An objection to the lockers by Morton and Hanthorpe Parish Council said: “People dropping off/collecting parcels are parking right on the corner of Hanthorpe Road or literally just round the corner.
“This is making what is already a difficult crossroads even more dangerous.
“Finally, the delivery/collection van for the parcels is parking across the corner of the pavement at the crossroads - across the A15/Hanthorpe Road pavement corner.”
Writing to the South Kesteven District Council (SKDC), Bourne North and Morton councillor Sue Woolley (Con) told of her concerns for disabled residents negotiating the junction: “I don’t think anyone would mind the InPost locker being in the Co-op car park but it is on the pavement on the main A15, which makes it incredibly difficult for those using mobility scooters to get round the corner without tipping into the road.”
Meanwhile, SKDC’s conservation officer added that although the locker was “modest” in size, its prominent position at the junction distracted from the character of the village’s conservation area and recommended it be moved elsewhere.
Hannah Noutch, SKDC’s development management planning officer, agreed, saying in her report: “Whilst noting that there would be a level of public benefit associated with the expansion of the existing business to offer this additional service, this does not outweigh the identified harm the significance of the conservation area.
“The locker would result in an unsympathetic incongruous addition that would negatively impact on the setting of positive non-listed buildings and the views and vistas of the conservation area offered from the junction it is located on, particularly travelling south down High Street.”
InPost UK has been approached for comment.