Latest news with #localprotests
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Warning against West Wickham KFC expansion due to 'smell, rubbish and traffic'
Furious residents have warned against KFC's expansion plan, claiming their local branch has brought smells, rubbish, traffic - and lowered house prices. Hundreds of locals in West Wickham objected when plans for a new drive-thru restaurant were submitted more ten years ago. But despite the protests the plans were green-lit by councillors and the KFC was built on a site previously housing a tapas bar, and before that a pub. Now, with KFC announcing it intends to build 500 more restaurants across the UK and Ireland in the next ten years, residents on Cavendish Way - near the controversial drive-thru - are warning others to object. John Urie, 74, says he opposed the plans when they were first announced, and that he has complained to the local council several times since. (Image: Tony Kershaw/ SWNS) The pensioner claims his garden is constantly flooded with a 'stale fat' smell and he is unable to open his windows in the summer due to the loud machine noises. He said: 'They have a generator. In the summer we try to open our windows and there is an overwhelming noise. It is like a constant rumbling. 'There is also an awful smell, sometimes it is so bad that we have to go inside. We have complained to the council but nothing has been done. 'When it first opened there was absolute chaos with the traffic. The buses couldn't get past, it was a nightmare. Now it is all Deliveroo drivers, so it isn't so bad. 'We always get litter outside. It is ridiculous. There are always rats running in our garden. 'We thought about moving a few times, but I just think why should we. We were here first, they should be the ones to move.' On the KFC expansion the resident of over ten years said: 'The planners need to consider what it is like for the local people. Anyone facing a KFC near them needs to object [...] strenuously.' Engy Mankarious, 49, who has lived in her home next to the drive- thru for 15 years, claims the side effects have even devalued her home. She said: 'I was here when they started building it and it is the worst thing to ever happen to me. The smell is horrible. I can't open my windows even in the peak of summer. It is a strong fat and grease smell. 'There are schools in the area and the kids get attracted to it. It is not right. It is fuelling obesity. They don't need junk food around the corner. 'There is always rubbish on the street and in my driveway. I have to pick it up every morning. 'My next door neighbour moved because of it. I have considered doing the same a few times but KFC have devalued my house. People see it and don't want to live here. 'There are always foxes and rats raiding the bins. I can't let my dog out unsupervised anymore.' Lorraine Dunleavy, 69, says she also hates living near the fast food chain and much preferred the previous occupants. The resident of four years said: 'I don't like it. I lost my sister's dog because of KFC. He escaped from my garden to chase the smell. 'People drop their rubbish in the woods nearby. There are always chicken bones everywhere. People in the cars play loud music from their windows. 'The smell always drifts down to my house. 'At 5am a rubbish truck comes down and makes a horrible screeching noise which wakes me up. I much preferred having a pub there.' However Phillip Charsley, 60, however says he much prefers living next to a KFC than he would a rowdy pub - even if he dislikes the chicken. (Image: Tony Kershaw/ SWNS) The resident of four years said: 'I haven't noticed any problems with it. There is a bit of a smell, but it is no worse than a barbeque. 'It used to be a pub and I can't imagine anything worse than that. The sound would have been unbearable. 'It is not the nicest thing to have next door but it isn't really effecting us. The litter was bad for a while, but they seem to have improved it. 'The food is awful, but I don't have many complaints living by it.' KFC was approached for comment.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Fury at retail park's ferris wheel plans as locals say revellers will be able to look directly into their homes and gardens
Furious locals have hit out as plans for an 'intrusive' gian ferris wheel at a retail park, as they argue riders will be able to peer into their gardens. Residents living next to Ashford Designer Outlet in Kent, say the proposed 108ft structure would allow riders to look into their homes. Managers at neighbouring Cherrytree Nursery School have branded the wheel a 'vanity project' amid claims they weren't even consulted on proposals. And they believe the towering structure would pose safeguarding issues for children at their establishment. Meanwhile, other locals questioned who would want to get a birdseye view of the area - saying there's nothing to see but 'buildings'. Planning documents for the wheel, which would boast 24 separate gondolas, state it would operate six months a year for the next five years. The giant structure would also be as tall as around eight double-decker buses stacked on top of one another,. Proposals would see it be installed next to a play area on seven disabled parking spaces, which would be relocated elsewhere. Residents living next to Ashford Designer Outlet in Ashford, Kent, say the proposed 108ft structure would allow riders to look into their homes However, managers at the Cherrytree Nursery School, which would be directly below the wheel and has existed there for over 36 years - over a decade longer than the designer outlet, which opened in 2000 - say it would impede their privacy. The nursery was also outraged at not having been listed as an interested party in the planning application, claiming they were instead listed as a 'neighbour'. Marianne Everett, part of the management team at the nursery, says the structure would look straight down on them, raising safeguarding and privacy concerns for its children. 'It's not the idea of it, it's the positioning - it just seems like it's completely in the wrong place,' the 42-year-old said: '[The wheel] would look straight down on us. It's a vanity project. It's not necessary. 'If we were an actual school, they would have listed us as an interested party. 'I was gobsmacked that they hadn't considered the local community. 'We were listed as a neighbour, essentially. In their proposal, they have not put that there's a big nursery next door. 'It's not like we have a few children, we are up to 108 on the roll. It's a huge nursery. Its positioning feels like a bit of a kick in the [teeth]. She added: 'We have a wide range of children from different backgrounds and, with some, there's limited contact with certain members of family and others outside the family. 'The fact that people could look in and even try and take photos of the children feels really unnerving. 'As the nursery's safeguarding lead, it's a real worry for me. It's not something you could easily rectify as well. 'It's so high that no matter what you do, they are going to see the children. We have children on court orders with special educational needs. 'It's just very frustrating, the fact that we found out by being listed as a neighbour; we have been here for over 35 years.' Ms Everett added that the wheel could also increase traffic around what's already a 'really difficult' junction, saying: 'If there were any additional traffic, it would be horrendous.' Local resident Lucy Ralph, also worries riders on the wheel would be able to look at her grandson playing in the grass outside her flat block. 'I don't see the point in it,' the 50-year-old said: 'It's not a fairground, it's an outlook centre. 'It's Ashford; there's nothing to see up there apart from buildings. 'The nursery is worried about people looking at them in the garden out the back. 'My grandson plays outside the front as well. It's a private area. 'The flats here have lots of children who play out all summer with paddling pools and all sorts. It would hit their privacy.' Sarah Mabb, another local grandmother and mother-of-five, agreed, describing it as 'a bit intrusive'. 'They would be able to see our babies,' the 44-year-old said: 'I wouldn't be happy at all if my children went to the nursery. 'You just don't know, do you? There are some strange people around.' In a statement, Cherrytree Nursery School added that it hoped 'common sense' would prevail, resulting in the application for the wheel at its current proposed location being rejected. 'Cherrytree Nursery School prioritises putting children first,' the statement reads. 'The observation wheel will be at a height and placement that will directly look over our building and our wide-open outdoor play space. 'The nursery believes that vulnerable families should be safe to attend, including those fleeing domestic violence and others who may be concerned that court orders to prevent access, or details regarding attendance, are all put at risk due to a vanity project. 'Cherrytree Nursery School is also open over the school holidays in addition to term time; therefore, stating that the observation wheel is seasonal will still have a significant negative impact. 'The observation wheel at the designer outlet at first seems like an asset to the area. 'However, its precise placement is set to be a disaster for traffic, [an] invasion of privacy for those in the neighbourhood, and has the potential to put children in danger. 'Hopefully, the observation wheel's placement will be more thoroughly considered and the current proposal rejected, as common sense dictates it must.' But not all locals are vehemently against the ferris wheel, as local Silvia Worrell, thinks the plan for the wheel should be given the green light. 'It doesn't really bother me, as long as they don't park here,' the 73-year-old grandmother of seven said. We have got the Designer Outlet sticking up anyway.' MailOnline has approached Ashford Designer Outlet for comment whilst the application for the ferris wheel is still being considered.
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Final BusConnects corridor secures planning permission
The final BusConnects corridor has been approved by An Bord Pleanála almost two years after the application was made and more than 10 years on from the project being announced. The Kimmage to Dublin city centre route is the last of 12 corridors to receive permission under the €4 billion scheme to transform the capital's bus services. However, six routes remain the subject of judicial review proceedings. The BusConnects programme has two strands: a network redesign and the 12 bus corridors. Unlike the redesign project, which involves the reorganisation of services on existing road infrastructure, the corridors require construction to achieve segregation of bus and cycle lanes from traffic. READ MORE This, in some instances, necessitates road widening, the acquisition of property, including parts of front gardens, and the felling of trees. The route from Kimmage in southwest Dublin to the city centre, via Harold's Cross and Clanbrassil Street, is one of the shorter corridors at just 3.7km, but it has been the longest in the planning system. A complex route, it involved the design of four 'bus gates', two of which ban private traffic on a 24-hour basis, while the others are to be in force during morning and evening peak times. [ BusConnects corridor construction to begin in autumn Opens in new window ] The bus-only sections of road, which will involve diversions for private traffic, were introduced to the designs following local protests over the original scheme, which involved significant annexing of parts of front gardens and the felling of a large number of trees. The scheme, which now involves reduced property acquisition and tree removal, includes two new footbridges over the Grand Canal in Portobello and a pedestrian/cyclist boardwalk over the river Poddle in Kimmage. The route was the subject of three rounds of public consultation before the application was made by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in July 2023. More than 80 submissions were made to the board after the application was lodged, and while several were supportive, many residents objected to the traffic diversions that would be imposed through the use of bus gates. Of the 12 corridors, five now have 'full' planning permission and can no longer be challenged in the courts. These are the routes from Ballymun/Finglas, Liffey Valley, Ringsend, Tallaght/Clondalkin and Lucan. Judicial review proceedings are ongoing in relation to six schemes, these are the corridors from Clongriffin, Belfield/Blackrock, Blanchardstown, Templeogue/Rathfarnham Swords and Bray. It remains to be seen if legal action will be taken against the Kimmage scheme. Construction of the first two corridors had been due to start this autumn, but the NTA now says it expects to be in a position to move forward at an earlier stage. Work is due to start on the Ballymun/Finglas and Liffey Valley routes by the middle of the year. Each route is expected to take about two years to complete. 'Reaching this milestone on the BusConnects infrastructure programme is a very positive development,' a NTA spokesman said. 'It's good news for bus customers, good news for communities and good news for the city. It is also welcome from the cyclists point of view, with 200km of cycle tracks to be delivered across the 12 schemes.' Plans for a system of segregated, continuous bus lanes for Dublin were first announced in 2014. In 2017, the NTA published the potential routes for these core bus corridors – which it hoped to have completed by the end of 2019. The government gave the NTA sanction to seek planning approval for the routes in March 2022 and the first applications were made from mid-2022. The Liffey Valley corridor was the first route to secure planning permission in December 2023.
