Councillor joins those concerned over the proposed Aldi opposite the Sheffield Wednesday ground

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported before Christmas, a planning application had been submitted for a new Aldi to be built on a 5.1ha, triangular-shaped area of land opposite Hillsborough Stadium on Penistone Road.

The proposal would see the budget supermarket scheme providing a store as well as a total of 155 customer and staff car parking spaces including six disabled, eight parent and child spaces, four electric vehicle charging spaces and nine cycle hoops.

However, the application has received several objections from members of the public claiming the development would have a negative impact on and “further significant degradation” of the Penistone Road cycle route.

Now, a ward councillor has joined those concerned.

In her letter submitted on the planning portal, Cllr Christine Gilligan Kubo (Hillsborough, The Green Party) said she believed “any economic benefits will be outweighed by the many negatives of this application”.

She said: “I strongly object to the lack of acknowledgement of the cycle route along Penistone Road. It appears that the current cycle route will be significantly degraded by this application.

“The entrance on Penistone Road will add significantly to the danger for cyclists and pedestrians who will have to cross a busy uncontrolled slip road. To ensure there is an accessible and safe cycle route along Penistone Road North, access to the development from Penistone Road should be denied. The only vehicular entrance and exit should be on Herries Road.

“The added benefit of this would be to avoid the impact that the new entrance will have on traffic flows on Penistone Road which is a very busy road all the time and especially so when there is a football match.

“Penistone Road is one of the most well-used radial cycle routes into and out of North West Sheffield and is often partially closed when there is a football match.”

She added the Penistone Road cycleway would largely disappear within the supermarket site under a new vehicle deceleration lane added to Penistone Road, “reducing current space provision to a shared footway which then further narrows at the northwestern end of the site where a bus layby and shelter also obstructs the route”.

Cllr Gilligan Kubo said: “The new access also creates another huge uncontrolled junction across the strategic cycle route with only rudimentary crossing arrangements and no priority or protection for pedestrians or cyclists.

“So the provision for cycling and walking along Penistone Road will actually be substantially degraded.

“The outline plan for the rest of the site offers no proposal on cycle provision and there is no suggestion of improvement to the existing arrangements.”

She concluded that the addition of another food supermarket in this location “can only undermine the viability of Hillsborough as a local centre”.

Cllr Gilligan Kubo added: “Unfortunately this development not only makes life more hazardous for active travellers, it actively promotes more car ownership and use by incorporating multiple drive-through businesses as well as the supermarket itself.

“I am therefore opposed to this development in its current form.”

In a transport assessment, a Personal Injury Collision (PIC) dataset showed that a total of eighteen collisions occurred, consisting of fourteen “slight” collisions and four “serious” collisions in the studied area – Penistone Road, Herries Road, mainly – over the last five years.

The assessment found that the incidents were “infrequent”.

The experts added: “It is also important to note that there was a single collision involving a pedestrian and another involving a pedal cyclist.

“There are therefore no concerns involving non-motorised road users, demonstrating that the site is well located for safe access by foot and by bicycle.”

A decision on application PP-12640635 is expected to be made by March 1.