Bid to create driver training area at Heath Farm Business Centre, on Tut Hill, Fornham All Saints, rejected by West Suffolk Council

A bid to create a driver training area at a village business park has been rejected due to safety fears.

The proposals from Mr C Browne for the space to the back of Heath Farm Business Centre, on Tut Hill, Fornham All Saints, near Bury St Edmunds, were refused by West Suffolk Council yesterday.

The application was a resubmission of previous plans which were abandoned in November.

The space is already in use by Smart Driving Group for Ride Smart motorcycle training and occasional one to one Drive Smart car tuition; the application was retrospective.

Fornham All Saints Parish Council gave a no comment submission to the plans. It said its previous concerns about road safety appeared to have been addressed, but it raised issues with shouting from instructors during training, a large number of motorbikes being stored in the containers at the site and whether hazardous materials were being stored.

The highways authority said using the existing field as an access point to a driver training area posed a significant safety risk, as it could see inexperienced motorcyclists using it at the same time as large farm vehicles.

Objections from properties both at the business centre and the golf club were received through the course of the application, which cited issues with unsafe access, noise and light pollution and the potential for impact on protected trees.

Planners agreed with highways officers, after visiting the site on several occasions, the proposals would create a road safety risk.

They did offer, while the plans would create some impact on amenity for nearby tenants, these could be mitigated through planning conditions on noise and lighting.