Newark and Sherwood District Council planning committee minded to pass PA Freight application for new lorry parking off A46 Farndon roundabout

A recent decision by a planning committee on an application first submitted in 2011 could finally bring about a resolution for the A46, but there is still an opportunity for the issue to rumble on.

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s planning committee decided it was minded to pass an application by PA Freight for a new lorry parking and turning area at its site off the A46 Farndon roundabout.

A dispute between PA Freight and Highways England has been ongoing since the new A46 was built, with the freight company suggesting the proposed access as originally designed by Highways England was dangerous and not viable for their business.

The 2011 submission has been significantly amended over time and the two warring factions have now found an accord.

Temporary speed limit signs have been in place at the roundabout for all that time while the access row, which went to an expensive and long-winded public inquiry, carried on.

The Highways Agency later built a replacement access road from the new Farndon roundabout, but it bypassed the company’s lorry park and turning circle and, under current plans, the Highways Agency would block off the main entrance to PA Freight from the Lord Ted roundabout.

PA Freight, which specialises in heavy and abnormal loads, deals with about 100 commercial vehicle movements a day, requiring the use of the lorry park and turning circle.

It seemed for a time, during the debate over the application for the new nine-bay lorry parking area and turning area, that the brakes might be applied again.

Two neighbours had objected and while there were no objections from Newark Town Council and Farndon Parish Council didn’t offer a point of view, the local district council member, Keith Girling, spoke out against the application being approved.

Committee chairman Roger Blaney said the long-running issues between the two adversaries were now resolved and he would not wish to see that unravel.

The application was passed on a majority vote.

However, neighbours have until September 29 to make any further representations that could materially change the decision, as does the applicant in respect of an extra condition of no overnight parking should they feel that it would be overly restrictive to their business.

If either happens, the matter could be brought back to the October committee meeting.