Plans for shop at The Crown Inn, Stowmarket, refused due to parking concerns

Plans to turn a vacant pub into a shop have been refused after concerns were raised over parking issues.

The Crown Inn, in Crown Street, Stowmarket, has been closed since November 2020 and a proposal to transform the building into a convenience store was submitted to Mid Suffolk District Council in March.

The application was refused as it did not demonstrate ‘safe and suitable’ access to the site and could therefore cause traffic issues with on-street parking on nearby roads.

The planning refusal document said: “It is considered reasonable to assume that the current development proposal would encourage short term parking on the double yellow lines outside the site, in a location where such parking would obstruct the free flow of traffic at the junction.

“As this junction is adjacent to a level crossing, the concern is that such informal parking has the potential to result in traffic congestion on the level crossing when in use.

“Such an impact is considered to result in a severe impact on the existing road network and highway safety.”

The proposals were submitted by Stephen Barrett and included a small ground floor extension with the hope of retaining a community facility on the site.

However, members of the public also objected to the plans as they believed a new shop was not needed as there are other stores, including Lidl and Aldi, in the area.

One commenter said: “It is totally inappropriate for the location, there is no need for a convenience store as there is a Lidl supermarket only a five minute walk away.

“There is no parking in the area except on-street parking which is generally fully utilised in the area during the day.”