A Coalville truck stop's application to park Heavy Goods Vehicles on its site for the next three years is set to be rejected by North West Leicestershire District Council.

A council officer's report says that access to the site is not safe and it would have an impact on the neighbouring pub.

An application from Mr Brett Parker, of the Bardon Truck Park, on the former site of the Stardust Nightclub in Beveridge Lane - next to The Charnwood Arms - was to have been debated at a planning committee meeting in November.

But the item was withdrawn and will now be discussed next Tuesday (February 6) by councillors.

Cllr Keith Merrie 'called in' the application due to concerns about highway safety and the risks to pedestrians.

The scheme requires a change of use of land for the parking of HGVs over a three year period.

It is currently in use as a lorry park, and has been since the granting of planning permission in 2020 for a temporary period of 36 months.

The council says the earlier permission for lorry parking expired in June.

Councillors will be recommended to refuse the application, with the officer's report stating: "The application proposes to access the site via an unadopted highway and through an existing car park serving a public house/restaurant and hotel which, when having regard to the extent of the car park affected, the proximity to the public house entrance, the difficult nature of the HGV manoeuvres through the unadopted highway and car park at this point and the absence of any mitigation measures to enhance pedestrian safety within the site, it is considered that the proposal would represent an unsafe form of development that would not provide safe access for all users of the unadopted highway passing through the site, contrary to highway safety.

"Furthermore, public safety concerns around the use of the car park as a result of the proposed use could serve to impact negatively on the business operations of an existing established public house/restaurant and hotel through which the site access route passes."

Ellistown & Battleflat Parish Council had already raised objections to the application.

It said there were concerns over:

• Suitability of access and egress which require a 90-degree left hand turn when leaving the site to get on to The Charnwood Arms road towards Beveridge Lane and a 90-degree right hand turn from The Charnwood Arms road to get into the site itself.

• Pedestrians and drivers of vehicles visiting The Charnwood Arms will be put at serious risk.

• There are insufficient road markings or warning signs to alert people of the dangers from the heavy traffic travelling through the car park.

• Who owns the access and egress route off Beveridge Lane? If it is not LCC Highways then, as part of this planning application, suitable and sufficient control measures need to be implemented to reduce the risk to pedestrians and vehicle users.

• The road into and out of the vehicle yard is in a very bad condition, with numerous potholes and very few road markings.

• The entrance and exit points from Beveridge Lane are also poor and vehicles which are not HGVs continuously turn right out of The Charnwood Arms car park to cut through the pause in the central reservation, which is meant for vehicles turning right, into the pub car park, off the opposite side of the dual carriageway.

• The original planning application was for a temporary three-year HGV park, it is concerning that the word temporary is being used for something which appears to be far from temporary.

• If planning approves this application again, without addressing the concerns which are being raised, will this set a precedent if another temporary planning application arrives from the owner in three years' time for an HGV park? When does temporary stop being temporary and become permanent?

However, the applicant's agent says the reason for refusal are 'weak'.

Leicestershire County Council Highways has not objected to the scheme

A statement from the agent reads: "It implies that the truck park will have a significant adverse impact on the vicinity.

"However, this is simply not the case and is evident by the fact that the Truck Park has been operating on the site for the past four years without any degree of infringement to the neighbouring uses.

"The highways officer and the Environmental Health Officer have responded with 'no objection' to the application, so it is not rational to suggest that the proposal has any significant adverse effect on the vicinity.

"No unreasonable or burdensome restrictions have been placed on the Charnwood Arms in the past four years and there is no prospect of any restrictions being placed on them in the future as consequence of the Truck Park.

"Whilst the Truck Park may be undesirable for Greene King - from a land use planning perspective, there is no issue and no 'agent of change'. This reason for refusal is very weak and, in my opinion, a misapplication of policy."

The agent adds: "The loss of the truck stop would have detrimental impacts on the highway network and the safety and security of HGV drivers and other road users.

"This could be for a variety of reasons, e.g., drivers not being able to find areas to have breaks, drivers blocking lay-bys to park and rest, drivers' safety being compromised in non-secured areas.

"North West Leicestershire Police recently identified HGV thefts as a priority matter. There have been dozens of incidents in the district involving HGV theft including serious assaults on drivers.

"Truck stops, like Bardon Truck Park (with CCTV, 24-hour security, excellent driver welfare) are crucial to deter such incidents. This is a key material consideration."

But objectors to the proposals have identified that there are some alternative lorry park facilities available within the local area, such as the Junction 23 Truck Stop, which is located just 6.6 miles from the site which provides comprehensive facilities, with 180 HGV parking spaces.

The site was granted an alcohol licence earlier this month, despite fears that the prospect of drink driving could create 'serious problems'.

But it was made clear at the time that it was not related to this planning application.

The council officer's report backs up the recommendation that permission should be refused.

It adds: "From the complaints received in respect of the application and the planning history and enforcement action taken on the site, it is clear that concerns have been raised by the local community regarding the operation of the lorry park use on the site over the past three years.

"It is also noted that whilst temporary consent was granted in 2020 for a lorry park use, the approved access arrangements were not implemented until April 2023 and alternative arrangements were used to access the site (utilising an access to the north of the site).

"The issues surrounding the approved access as set out above have only been experienced for seven months in that three-year period and generated a complaint within one month of the previously approved access being used.

"It is noted that temporary planning permission has been granted and sufficient time has passed to enable the impacts of the development to be established during this trial run period.

"It is not considered that any overwhelming argument has been put forward by the applicant to justify another temporary permission and in these circumstances, it is considered that the Local Planning Authority should either refuse the request for a further temporary planning permission or grant a permanent permission for the use of the land as a lorry park."