An "eyesore" former petrol station is set to make way for new apartments in a North Staffordshire village.

Newcastle Borough Council's planning committee gave the green light for the redevelopment of the site off Eccleshall Road, Loggerheads, on Tuesday (July 18).

The authority received 11 objections to the development however, for reasons including road safety, the proposed building not being in keeping with the character of the village and a "significant" number of new properties already being granted permission in recent years. A three-storey building was originally proposed, but it was reduced to two storeys after council officers raised concerns about the "bulk and massing of the building and the potential for it to be overly dominant and out of keeping with the area", a report to Tuesday's meeting said.

An objector to the plans said that no further housing was required and that the site should be safeguarded for retail and employment use. But a supporter said the development would replace an eyesore in the middle of the village "which should help transform the centre of Loggerheads into somewhere that the residents can be proud, rather than ashamed of".

Four one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom apartments are proposed, along with 18 parking spaces. The site currently has an access from Newcastle Road and an exit onto Eccleshall Road, but this exit is set to be removed, leaving a single access point.

11 objections were raised against the proposals, including concerns about road safety (Google).

Ward councillor Barry Panter questioned if the 12 apartments would be a sustainable development. Speaking at Tuesday's meeting he said: "The nearest doctor is a mile away, there is no dentist, no opticians and no disability facilities immediately available.

"I'm concerned about road safety because there is no zebra crossing at all. And if there is going to be disabled or elderly residents living in these flats, I'm concerned about how they are going to manage to cross the road.

"It's right on a main junction with two almost immediately adjacent roundabouts and no traffic lights. There has been concern about getting refuse vehicles in because if there's only one access, there doesn't look like there's enough space for the vehicles to turn round, so they would have to reverse in or reverse out."

Fellow ward councillor and committee chairman Paul Northcott said: "Bearing in mind the previous incarnations of applications that have gone previously, I see this as a much better design. I like the fact one of the entrances has been closed off; I think the safety aspect of emerging onto Eccleshall Road would be an issue.

"I quite like the fact the car park is at the rear, so you are not going to get the cars on the front and that will improve the image. Finally it will do something with this site, which really has been questionable over the years, and people have struggled to be imaginative enough to come up with something on this particular plot.

"I think that is a definite plus for the centre of the village to what it is now. I'm not convinced by the design but I'm happy to support this proposal as it is."

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