9:27 am, October 5, 2023
Plans to convert a redundant commercial unit into a car showroom in a residential area have sparked protests.
Kazim Properties wants to turn the site in Grove Street, Peterborough, into a car dealership with parking for 19 vehicles.
The accompanying design and access statement, prepared by Good-Design-Ing, says sales would mainly be done online and there’d be an appointment booking system.
The size and scale of the existing building wouldn’t change, it adds.
The site is currently a vacant commercial/light industrial unit sandwiched between two residential properties, and an application has been lodged for a change of use to turn it into a car sales showroom, making external alterations.
It stopped being used on March 2 this year, according to the application.
The showroom would be open seven days a week between 9.30am and 6pm Mondays to Saturdays and 10.30am to 4pm on Sundays.
But the plan has sparked objections from nearby residents, with one of them telling the city council: ‘Such a large business will fundamentally alter the character of the immediate residential area.
‘Large volumes of vehicle movements, including transporters, will create traffic congestion…from deliveries, test drives, customers, and part-exchange disposals.
‘The access routes to the site are not appropriate for transporters. There will be noise pollution from vehicle movements and associated work such as power washing.’
Another pointed out that there was another car showroom nearby and feared there would be ‘major, major issues with parking’.
Meanwhile, a third objector highlighted existing traffic and parking problems, made even worse when there was a home football match.
They were concerned about safety as well as increased traffic pollution, commenting: ‘We have plenty of industrial areas close to Peterborough city centre and so to put a commercial unit like this on a residential street is totally unnecessary and poor planning.’
A decision will be made in due course.
Pictured at top via Google Street View in February 2023 is the site – now permanently closed – that could become a car showroom
