A passionate plea from a head teacher proved most persuasive to councillors last night
A Derbyshire headmaster’s heartfelt appeal has led to the scrapping of plans for a new drive-through Greggs and Starbucks by Erewash Borough Council.
The proposal, situated perilously close to Friesland School and the bustling M1/A52 Sandiacre Interchange, was booted out last night (September 18) amidst a wave of lively applause.
The chairman and planning head constantly reminded the animated crowd that “this is not a theatre” or entertainment venue after each presentation against the project. Local backlash included submissions from 40 residents, ex-MP Maggie Throup, and even influential council figures prior to the showdown.
However, it was Friesland School’s own Craig Patterson who stole the spotlight with his speech. Positioned a 10-minute walk from the site, Patterson, at the helm since 2020 and overseeing roughly a thousand pupils, shared his concerns, saying: “I am incredibly worried about the footfall to and from a drive-thru restaurant. The desire to nip down for a sausage roll would be overwhelming and strong.
“There is the significant prospect of hundreds of students heading down the road to Greggs and for the parents to go to Starbucks on the school run. We already have significant parking issues and I can’t control where the parents park, even though we encourage parents not to drive.”
“The allure to get a coffee before school is alluring,” reports Nottinghamshire Live.
He expressed his concerns about groups of young people gathering in a location representing a “captive audience” for potential criminal activity. Mr Patterson stated: “There will be such a drive downhill for our students, maybe to abscond. We get a significant number of lorries driving down the single-lane road and the traffic from Derby Road is only increasing.”
Tara Brassil, a resident of Risley, argued that the reasoning of the Government inspector who rejected an appeal for a McDonald’s on the same site in 2015 still holds true. She said: “Nothing has changed except that the traffic is even worse and now we have declared a climate emergency. There are fast food outlets including drive-throughs in every direction, they are taking over the place.”
She claimed that air quality issues and public health concerns were enough of a reason to reject the scheme. Cllr Wayne Major, the leader of the borough’s Tory opposition, has blasted proposed plans for two new drive-thrus, arguing they will only worsen traffic snarls. “This is a makeshift service station, serving motorists off the M1 and A52. It is absurd that it would be for local use instead of acting as a M1/A52 service station for passing traffic.
“We are facing an absurd situation where the developer thinks that when one drive-thru was rejected that two will be the solution.”
Meanwhile, Cllr Stephen Jarratt, chair of Risley with Hopwell Parish Council, slammed the project as “highly unwelcome on so many levels”, foreseeing that congestion will dramatically intensify, especially as the old Stanton Ironworks site gets revamped, which will create thousands of jobs and a surge in traffic. He warned of the negative impact on local residents and the charm of the area, including “intrusive” light pollution and noise.
Cllr Jarratt expressed his deep concern: “Kids get excited and impatient. If a child is killed or maimed it may not rest easy on your conscience.” Additionally, Cllr Steve Bilbie cautioned the council against prioritising profit over community welfare, labelling the proposal a “recipe for disaster”. He boldly stated it was “undemocratic” to discourage residents from clapping their disapproval.
Steve Birkinshaw, the council’s head of planning, expressed his embarrassment over Cllr Bilbie’s comments. Meanwhile, Cllr Lynne Evans, a member of Stanton by Dale Parish Council, revealed she often finds herself picking up fast food rubbish like Costa coffee cups and McDonald’s bags up to seven miles away from the respective chain restaurants.
Phil Hayton highlighted that a traffic survey discovered 700 vehicles use Bostocks Lane per hour, outside of rush hour, with the majority being HGVs or trade vans. He warned that “many children are idiots” who would risk crossing the road amidst traffic, adding it was only a “matter of time before a child is hit and the people who approved it will have that on their conscience”.
A representative for the applicants, Northern Star Assets Ltd, assured that the firm had taken into account all objections to this application and the previous McDonald’s application. The new plan had been revised following discussions with experts, promising it would “not become a source of anti-social behaviour”.
Cllr Dave Doyle stated: “Residents want this site developed and we are going to develop this site. It is scrubland. It is an opportunity for employment for people in Long Eaton.”
Cllr Tim Scott voiced his concerns saying: “This is ripe for developing but not this one. This is not for residents but to capture people who would not normally come off the motorway here. Sausage rolls attract kids and we can’t put Friesland kids in danger.”
Cllr Ann Mills has accused Derbyshire County Council and Safer Derbyshire of failing the community, claiming they are “not doing their jobs properly” for not opposing a contentious scheme. Meanwhile, Cllr Kevin Miller didn’t mince his words, saying: “If it looks like a service station and it smells like a service station, it is a service station. The nearest house is 40 metres away, there are not enough parking spaces and people will just park in front of the houses and throw their rubbish away.”
He also highlighted concerns over the proposed nine-metre-tall advertising towers, which he said were “so tall you can see them from the space station”.