Plans have been submitted to redevelop the former public toilet on New Road into a shop and apartment (16/02163/FUL). The property was sold by Shropshire Council was sold to Mr Gulam Ahmed for around £7,000 nearly six years ago.
This is a building that is a blot on Ludlow’s landscape. It needs redeveloping.
The plans submitted by Halls envisage a ground floor shop with a single apartment above.
I have some worries about this scheme. It will involve the loss of trees in the hospital grounds. There is nothing special about the trees but they do add character to the top end of New Road.
My main concern is the lack of nearby car parking. The mini-roundabout at One Stop in East Hamlet is a difficult, potentially dangerous junction. If the new development includes a flower or sandwich shop on the ground floor, this will generate a lot of traffic. Given the lack of parking at the top of New Road, many customers will park illegally. That will just increase the dangers for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers on an already risky stretch of road.
I very much welcome that someone is prepared to redevelop this eyesore but we will need to carefully consider the highways implications of this proposal.