Redevelopment of the Bay Leaf is nothing short of insane

If you’re a Bollington resident or visitor you may be aware that plans are being considered to redevelop the Bay Leaf restaurant (old Waggon & Horses pub) into a Sainsbury’s store with the Bay Leaf above.

I understand that Cheshire East Highways Department have raised no objections.

Firstly, I have to nail my colours to the mast and state that I have a business opposite, but this isn’t a case of NIMBYism.

Anyone living in Bollington will have witnessed the traffic shambles resulting from allowing the Co-op store on Albert Road to extend onto their own car park.

This created a hazardous junction as vehicles were now double parking to the side of the store – the situation made even worse when delivery lorries were present.

Problems at the now dangerous junction were exacerbated when the council permitted the construction of a pedestrian crossing – just a couple of metres from the junction.

It got to the point where minor accidents or near misses became an almost daily occurrence.

I have to assume the Highways Department foresaw no problems in the loss of the store’s car park – or the siting of the new crossing.

To even consider redeveloping The Bay Leaf bullding – which is situated right on the junction of Wellington Road and Grimshaw Lane – is therefore nothing short of insanity.

Leaving aside the chaos this would cause for vehicles entering and exiting the planned car park, the truth is that, as witnessed with the Co-op, motorists will inevitably take the easy option of leaving their cars along the road or worse – the pavement outside.

To compound the insanity they’re even proposing that delivery lorries park at the front to discharge their loads!

The introduction of double yellow lines had no effect on motorists parking outside the Co-op – so would be unlikely to have any effect if introduced here.

I struggle to understand how such a scheme could be even considered and staggered that the Highways Department would even contemplate approving it – then again it’s Cheshire East isn’t it.

The following comment has been emailed in response to this article:

I was a Lolipop man by the old Co-op briefly just over 2 years ago.
One morning a regular lady and her 2 children were half way across when a 35cwt van came from Macc direction doing about 40mph. I shouted for them to stop and held my arm out to stop them and moved out of the way. He stopped inches from the crossing. I’m 6ft 3in, had bright yellow coat, hat and stop sign, I’m convinced to this day they would all have been hit.