4.65
Object
Publication
Representation ID: 23608
Received: 17/03/2021
Respondent: Ms Cecilia Riccardi
Legally compliant? Yes
Sound? No
Duty to co-operate? Yes
The purpose of this contribution is to suggest improvement of the soundness of the access proposals for this site. As matters of access are often dealt with at an early stage of the planning process clarification is important and helps avoid any ambiguity and misinterpretation. There are e.g. two London Roads involved here, the B1172 London Road and the Old London Road. Please see the reasons section above and the changes section below for details.
Please consider replacing the first sentence in the introduction with:
“This site is located to the south-west of the town with vehicular access proposed only from the to be constructed new roundabout at the junction of the B1172 London Road and the Old London Road.”
Main Policy
Point 2: Please consider replacing this so that it echoes the wording above, as in:
“Vehicular access from the B1172 London Road and the Old London Road via the to be built roundabout, with a minimum 5.0 metre carriageway width, and 2.0 metre footway provision across the site frontage." Consideration to be given whether a footway should stretch the length of the site to the new roundabout junction.
Point 5: Please consider removing “Abbey Road or” from this sentence.
Please clarify the main access point onto the site.
Policy GNLP0354R: Land at Johnson's Farm, Wymondham
General Point: On the assumption that this site will be approved for housing it is the issue of access that is now important and for soundness this should be clarified.
Introduction:
Please consider replacing the first sentence with:
“This site is located to the south-west of the town with vehicular access proposed only from the to be constructed new roundabout at the junction of the B1172 London Road and the Old London Road.”
Rationale: This would improve the soundness of this introductory paragraph as it would clarify the entrance and exit both for construction traffic and residents of the Johnson’s Farm site and put it beyond doubt. There are two London Roads: the old one and the B1172. And there are two entrances onto the old London Road. The one near the to be constructed roundabout would cause less disruption to less households than the one at the at the other end, which is very near the existing roundabout at the junction of the B1172, Abbey Road and Suton Lane. Such use would also avoid slowing down the traffic trying to come south through the existing roundabout if it had to stop for, particularly, construction traffic slowly taking a right turn into Old London Road.
To ensure the policy issue itself is sound:
Point 2: Please consider replacing this so that it echoes the wording above, as in:
“Vehicular access from the B1172 London Road and the Old London Road via the to be built roundabout, with a minimum 5.0 metre carriageway width, and 2.0 metre footway provision across the site frontage. Consideration to be given whether a footway should stretch the length of the site to the new roundabout junction.
Rationale: This would provide consistency and put access beyond doubt. It would improve the safety of pedestrians.
Point 5: Please consider removing “Abbey Road or” from this sentence.
Rationale: Abbey Road is unsuitable as an access/egress point for the Johnson’s Farm site. My submission to the Regulation 18 stage with accompanying map which showed the winding nature of Abbey Road and its proximity to a children’s playground refers.
Additional Point: To ensure further soundness could the actual access point to the site be clarified. There is an argument for siting it at the widest frontage point as this disrupts the least number of households in Old London Road.