COUNCILLORS have rejected a bid to create a new secondary access for shoppers visiting Trago Mills.

The department store had wished to reinstate and turn a disused access track which had been utilised during the construction of Trago Mills into a new road that would enable easier and quicker access to the site from people travelling from the south.

But Teignbridge District Council’s planning committee on Tuesday morning rejected the scheme on highway safety grounds and said that they were ‘being asked to believe impossible things’.

The scheme would have seen a parcel of land – currently a disused access track which had been used during the construction of Trago – off Staplehill Road be widened and resurfaced to serve as a secondary entrance to the site, with councillors hearing around 20 per cent of customers would be expected to use it.

Company chairman Bruce Robertson said that the scheme would ‘future proof’ the business in case disruption when improvement works to the A382 could render the enterprise unattractive and commercially unviable.

He said: ‘The stretch that will be used is at least two vehicles wide, straight, and will turn into Trago before the road narrows,’ and added that fears that it would impact on traffic in Liverton or at Blackpool Primary School were unfounded as the peaks of usage do not align at all.

But Cllr Adrian Patch, who represents the Haytor ward in which the site lies, said that the traffic assessment which said there wouldn’t be a significant impact in the area had not been independently assessed.

He said: ‘The highway assessment is flawed and has not been scrutinised by anyone. Given the seriousness of the traffic and highways safety risks, I propose it is refused,’ before citing fears of the impact on the accident black spot on the A383 and the potential of creating one into Staplehill Road.

Cllr Andrew McGregor said that using the route presents a risk to the public and there were question marks over whether it is sustainable and if it adds any value to the business, while Cllr Jackie Hook added her concerns over traffic on the narrow lane.

She said: ‘Drumbridges is not congested and whatever they did worked. That should be the proper route into Trago and with the A382 improvements, that should be the prime and sensible route for access to Trago. This is not a route we want to encourage more traffic onto.’

And Cllr Martin Wrigley said the committee was being asked to believe two competing and impossible things – that the amount of traffic using this road will be both negligible on the highway network and critical to the future of Trago Mills.

He said: ‘They are either expecting a significant number on the route or it won’t be commercially viable. They cannot both be true. The A382 is suitable and this is not suitable to support traffic into Trago Mills.’

But Cllr Phil Bullivant said that he didn’t believe there would be a highway impact if the access route was approved, saying: ‘If you see what is planned then I don’t believe there is a planning reason for refusal.’

Councillors though voted by 13 to six to refuse the application on the grounds of highway safety.