Testun llawn:
I feel it necessary to object most strongly to the plans for new housing in the area "SOUTH OF WARWICK AND WHITNASH", the main problem being traffic
1) WOODSIDE FARM
My main objection to your plan for Woodside Farm is on the grounds of traffic and road infrastructure as the one and only entrance to the development would appear to be only a short distance from Ashford Road and directly opposite Othello Avenue.
Apart from the saturation of the areas roads at present, Othello Avenue is at present used as a high speed rat run to the areas of Tachbrook Park Drive and beyond to Leamington Spa and Warwick. The introduction of a housing project of 280 units would add significantly to the areas problems even if all traffic is "encouraged" to go via Harbury Lane to Warwick or via Tachbrook Road to Leamington Spa. I understand that a set of traffic lights with pedestrian controls was the likely scenario at the junction of the development and Tachbrook Road/Othello Avenue and that these would be synchronised with the Harbury Lane lights and the current pedestrian lights near Ashford Road. This would apparently also have some computer input from traffic flow in both directions along Harbury Lane.
This apparently is designed to make the traffic flow evenly, but this is not my experience in practice if other closely situated traffic lights with pedestrian control in the areas are anything to go by at peak times.
Even if these highly technical lights do work as they are intended to, I think all will be controlled by human nature and despite your assurances that it will be "better" for drivers to avoid Othello Avenue most people will still use this route. It was suggested to me that some traffic calming would probably be added to Othello Avenue in order to guide motorists away to alternate routes but in November 2012, I noticed 2 lots of severe ruts on grass verges near the already present "traffic calming roundabouts". Vehicles had obviously left the road at these points having failed to negotiate the 2 islands in question crossed the pavement and travelled a large distance along the adjacent grass areas - one of which was the children's play area - do I need to comment further!! From the length and depth of the ruts speed must have been a major factor but my main point is that if plans for traffic diversion are to come to pass the calming measures which I appreciate are the prerogative of the highways dept. and not yours need to be quite draconian. My suggestions would be very frequent speed humps or road narrowing with alternate give way in each direction, (slight inconvenience to residents as there is always a route off the estate, but major bar to those using it as a "rat-run"). Ignoring the "Othello Question" the area is already heavily blighted by traffic and despite improvements to the Banbury Road junction with Harbury Lane the traffic on this road is at saturation levels especially at work and school times.
2) GROVE FARM & LOWER HEATHCOTE FARM
Despite improvements to the Banbury Road junction with Harbury Lane the traffic on this road is at saturation levels especially at work and school times (not to mention Othello Avenue being used as a "rat-run"). I believe that the inadequacies of Harbury Lane along with further overload would inflame this beyond all acceptable levels, especially as the plan shows 2 PRIMARY SCHOOLS and possibly 1 SECONDARY SCHOOL in the area between Tachbrook Road traffic lights and Earl Rivers Avenue roundabout. I have looked at the map and infrastructure requirements (5.1.15) and can see no evidence for any alteration to this stretch of road. The traffic in the area is already (7.30am-9.00am & 4.30pm-6.00pm especially) at saturation point and the addition of 1520 houses plus 2/3 schools would be a formula for total mayhem. Accidents and inevitable injury and loss of life would not be a certainty it would become virtually mandatory!! Especially to huge volumes of children crossing Harbury Lane even with light controlled crossings with or without supervision.
The lights at the junction with Tachbrook Road are already used as a "starting grid" for "The Harbury Lane Grand Prix" and coming the other way with many motorists the trick seems to be to get up enough speed to clear those lights before they change back to red. My point here is that the current speed limit is often ignored, so even if it is reduced to 30mph I can foresee the same problems as highlighted above.
I have limited my objections mainly to traffic, but there are many more areas which could be raised in strong objection to your proposals.
3) OTHER AREAS OF CONCERN
The improvements to the junction of Gallows Hill with Banbury Road has made a great improvement, but all would be lost by the addition of 3000+ houses and more additions to Warwick Technology Park and the junction in its present form would become in the modern annoying idiom "not fit for purpose"! With respect to more vehicles needing access to The Technology Park, I see from map 3 that a grade 1 improvement is proposed for the entrance to the site and this is long overdue. However a glaring problem has been overlooked as the site has insufficient car parking space already without further expansion. Those of us who travel this stretch of road on a regular basis are all too aware of the large number of cars parked on the grass verge on the South side of Gallows Hill during work hours, obviously much to the annoyance of local farmers who have put up no parking signs by their gates. (There used to be a smaller problem on the North side but the resident there has put up wooden posts to stop the parking). Of course this problem will "go away" when the proposed building takes place on the South side - just one problem here - where will the cars be parked then?!
I can also see major knock on problems for Tachbrook Park Drive, where parking by HGV traffic blocks the road on a regular basis even at non-peak times. Quite often there are several large trucks and car transporters lined up on both sides of the road as there is little or no option for them to park at the delivery sites. I appreciate this is a commercially orientated road but not enough thought was given to parking facilities for loading and unloading. This situation will only deteriorate with extra traffic converging on the area. One might suggest removing the grass verges (those not ploughed up by encroaching HGVs) and providing loading bays. If total chaos is not to arise the whole road may need alteration including a cycle track between Heathcote Lane and Sainsburys if this building in the area goes ahead- more expense and another reason for not going ahead with this project.
I have limited my objections mainly to traffic, but there are many more areas which could be raised in strong objection to your proposals and the cost of all the required infrastructure improvements would seem prohibitive under present austerity conditions.
I appreciate, as previously mentioned that roads and their planning are the remit of The County Council, but all my points and no doubt some that I have missed, do I feel need serious consideration.
Finally I do not wish to be categorised as a NIMBY but all or most of the development is in the South Warwick Area (North of Leamington Spa having been abandoned -perhaps for political reasons if some press articles are to be believed). It seems that Warwick District Council is trying to make an issue of Green Belt Versus Green Field to find a reason for putting most the development in one area. The underlying fact is that in either case valuable Green Areas of once "Leafy Warwickshire" are to be sacrificed on the high alter of so called "Future & Sustainable Prosperity". I have to tell you now that a lot of people do not think that these plans will "Make Warwick District a Great Place To Live Work and Visit."
I am sending copies to Chris White, my local MP with whom I am already in touch