One of the Planning conditions for Primark winning consent for its new shop at 91–3 Princes Street (Ref. 10/01123/FUL) was the provision of secure/covered cycle parking (see pdf at foot of page).
Spurtle reader Jonathan Finn lives nearby, but despite repeated attempts could not find any such cycle parking around the building on its completion.
Finn made enquiries, and a CEC Enforcement Officer has recently 'reassured' him as follows: 'Due to the limitations on land available for the cycle parking, it was agreed between the Council and the developer that a limited amount of cycle parking would be provided for the use of the premises' staff in an internal courtyard at the rear of the development. This has now been provided and the condition has been discharged'.
Primark has 'offered' further cycle parking as part of the Council's 'coordinated public realm works’ on Rose Street at some unspecified point in the future.
This may seem like a sensible compromise to some, but to others it smacks of the slippery slope down which developers typically begin by promising – often under duress – improvements to the local infrastructure but end up doing nothing for weeks, months and sometimes years.