A planning application was submitted to the council in early April 2024 to convert the former Iceland store on Fulford Road into restaurant and takeaway for McDonalds, sharing a car park with Aldi. The campaign have submitted an objection to this application due the increase in danger it will bring to an already busy junction.

York Cycle Campaign object to this proposal in particular with reference to the impact on walking and cycling at this busy location close to local schools, bus stops and on a key route into York.

In particular the elements that are outside of the existing class E consent: extended hours of operation, take- away and courier delivery service will add to the detrimental impact of simply converting the building to restaurant use.

The proposed minor alterations to access arrangements such as creating a pedestrian walkway across the frontage, taking out two parking spaces at the new entrance to create a wider paved area and introducing 3 reserved spaces for cars used for deliveries are welcome changes. Recognition of the sustainable location for walking and cycling and retention of cycle parking is also welcome but does not go far enough to respond to the anticipated greater cycle use generated by these additional changes.

In particular in the Highways Supporting Statement May 1st it is stated: ‘given the location of the site within the Fulford area of York, delivery drivers picking up customer food orders will predominantly arrive on cycle/ motorcycle’. In order to cater for this without the entrance becoming an obstacle course for customers especially those with poor eyesight or in wheelchairs, there needs to be a location identified for short stay courier cycle/ motorcycle parking near to the south-western entrance where orders are to be collected. The existing cycle stands will also most likely be insufficient for peaks of customer demand.

Safety of existing vehicle entrance

The existing vehicle entrance design is no longer fit for modern standards, in particular the absence of a dropped kerb to allow wheelchair access to and from the car park, the narrowness of southern pavement and the total width which is barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass given the increase in average vehicle widths over the past 30 years. Since 2022 the new Highway Code has required drivers entering or leaving side roads to give way to pedestrians and cyclists progressing along the main road. The current design encourages drivers to block their passage while waiting to exit and the surface design fails to reflect current standards. Although not mentioned in the applicants assessments, the pavement between Fulford Cross and Maple Grove alongside the site is designated for both cycle and pedestrian use and is well used particularly at school times to and from the schools in Fulford Cross.

While these aspects cannot be used to prevent continued permitted use, intensification of vehicle, cycle and pedestrian access as is proposed should not be approved without addressing the current design failings that will have increasingly detrimental impact on active travel modes along Fulford Rd as well as when entering and leaving the site.

It should also be noted that the narrow vehicle entrance with only a pedestrian entrance near to the bus stop could result in increased hazards as cycle or motorbike couriers try to leave or enter the site when there are also queues of Aldi or McDonalds customers!

If the applicant is serious about promoting access by non-car modes there needs to be an increase in the cycle parking provision and changes negotiated with the landlord to enhance public safety at the entrance. In particular there is a need to take note of the road traffic collision record on this stretch of Fulford Rd (pedestrians crossing and right turning movements across the main road).

Finally there is a need to consider the impact of potential anti-social behaviour in the area with young people on bikes, late into the evening congregating either in the bus shelter, sat on the wall and the historic cross itself, or at the far end of Maple Grove adding to the litter around Millennium Bridge and along New Walk. This is particularly an effect of the extended hours, type of take away proposed and its prominent location within reach of many young people!