Response from Dr Fiona Neall (Individual)
1. Dr Fiona Neall (Individual) : 11 Apr 2011 23:52:00
Or, other document if it does not appear in the list above
South Lakeland LDF Land Allocations Development Plan Document Kendal Fact File
Page
171-172 Emerging Options R150M (Part R150 + R596/R117)
Paragraph no.
Justification Bullet 5 / Mitigation measures Bullet 6 - both relate to transport issues
Do you support, oppose or support in part this section of the document
Oppose
Please explain your reasons
While the first paragraph claims that increased congestion at the Burton Rd/Oxenholme Rd/Heron Hill Rd junction is acceptable (Kendal Transport Assessment Study) over the 15 year time frame, mitigation measures are noted to 'address local and wider highways impacts'. It seems that the key concern is not safety or health of the existing inhabitants but only that the flow of traffic is not unduly affected.
Under the existing plans, there are no access points into the proposed development on R150M which do not involve Hayclose Road. The railway on the east boundary of the site curtails access from that direction while the site is restricted on its south boundary by the driving range, Oxenholme Farm and Raysholme, none of which are included in the site R150M. Thus access is bound to be via the existing cul-de-sacs of Howe Bank Close, Hayclose Crescent and Kendal Parks Road. The latter two are completely inappropriate in scale and accessability for providing the major thoroughfares required by a development of 240 houses. To give some idea of the scale - 240 dwellings is approximately the same number as the existing Hayclose Road + Hayclose Crescent + Howe Bank Close area. Thus traffic using Hayclose Road will be doubled adding to the apparently insoluble existing problems of parking - both by residents and the increasing numbers of station users who won't pay for station parking - and associated congestion which makes junctions into accidents waiting to happen. Residents of Howe Gardens are already complaining about the difficulty of turning safety out of this cul-de-sac - what will it be like with twice (or more) the amount of traffic along Hayclose Road? Similarly access through Howe Bank Close would be via a cul-de-sac off a cul-de-sac off a cul-de-sac - at what point will someone say 'this is not a suitable access route' - perhaps when someone has been killed or injured by a collision at the blind junctions?
Our SLDC councillor Mrs Feeney-Johnson has suggested that this is an issue for the planning stage. I beg to differ - this is an issue which must have been solved before the planning stage as how can a developer come up with plans for a site without having the access routes confirmed?
Nor am I gullible enough to believe that developers will address the issue unless forced to do so.
Thus, unless and until there is a clear statement from SLDC about how this site will be developed in terms of safe and practical access from the existing highway - namely Oxenhome Road - I am strongly opposed to the site being considered as an option for residential development.
