Cllr Baker said: 'We are allconcerned about the impact of HGVs'
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More safety fears over SDR
By Laura HerbertNovember 02, 2012
Concerns are still being raised about the safety of a main road that will run through the heart of a new development in south Wokingham.
A Southern Distributor Road (SDR) will run through the 650-home development at Buckhurst Farm connecting London Road with Finchampstead Road.
The Wokingham Society, Greater Langborough, Priest Avenue and Froghall Drive residents’ associations, neighbourhood action groups and councillors met Wokingham Borough Council officers at The Bradbury Centre, in Rose Street, to find out more on Monday night.
Councillor Keith Baker, executive member for highways and planning, said: “There’s a lot of confusion about the SDR, the route, how solid it is, can it be changed etc.
“I think this has been brought about because there are a large number of documents referring to it at different weights.
“The road within the Buckhurst Farm Strategic Development Location (SDL) is now fixed, but what is not fixed is what is going on the route such as traffic islands and crossings.
“We are all; residents, officers and councillors, concerned about the impact of HGVs. We can’t put up a sign saying ‘no HGVs’.
“If we are going to go down the legal route, we would have to impose a weight limit.
“Unfortunately, this weight limit includes a public transport bus which means it makes it almost impossible to have a bus route.”
Council officers estimate 1,400 cars will use the SDR during peak hours in the morning and 1,100 cars during peak evening times in 2026.
David Nash, of Greater Langborough Residents’ Association, suggested the main road should run around the edge of the estate, similar to the layout in Lower Earley.
He said: “Me and others suggested separating the road for high volume traffic and the local traffic which is resident or delivery traffic.”
Les Roland, chair of Froghall Drive Residents’ Association, said: “Consultants said you don’t have a road carrying heavy traffic and pedestrians crossing it.
“You can put in all sorts of crossings and make the roads wider, but in the long run it comes down to what is the safest and the safest way is two roads.
“Safety is the most important thing.”
Bob Gunn, of Priest Avenue Residents’ Association, added: “You maximise safety by not bringing pedestrians into contact with traffic to start with.
“I really don’t know how we arrived at this design but if this is set in stone, we have to make the best of a bad job.”
A detailed planning application from developers David Wilson Homes is due to be submitted before Christmas and Wokingham people will have a chance to influence what will go on the road by commenting on the plans.
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Most recent user comments 11 of 11
Stig2 - sory but you do not understand the planning process. Once it is approved then a council, by law, cannot arbitrarily overturn the decision. If we did the developers would go straight to appeal and the end result would be no change but a huge cost to the council.
The comments about the Station Link Road do not stand up to scrutiny. The consultation and its results is well documented and is up on the web site. Included in that are all the changes, apart from Alderman Willey Close, that have been included in that report. Interestingly the Wokingham Society argued that there were so many changes proposed as a result of the consultation that we should have reconsulted the amended proposals. That tends to reinforce the point I am making.
I must admit I love the way some of you want it both ways. If we had ignored the views residents of the close you would have criticised us but when we actually give them the power to decide whether it happens or not you dismiss it because it was arranged that way!
I look forward to more knocking comments from these regulars. After all who am I to spoil your fun!
11/11/2012 at 12:43 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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You guys (cllrs) should be asking WHY people knock the council and maybe you would find the root cause of the problem?
Hint: There are some great comments on this page to help you.
10/11/2012 at 07:48 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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Well take it back to the planning committee and get it changed! It's ridiculous that a road which is supposed to take traffic away from the town centre has been designed to run right through the middle of a new residential area.
"set in stone" = "too much work/hassle/embarrassment to change it".
05/11/2012 at 12:20 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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As Pone said, the council consults because it sounds good, but in truth it is consulting on the most minor issues after the major decision is made (for example, Elms Field will be tarmacced over, but we will have some 'input' into the design of the (little) remaining green space; or, a better example, this article - the road will be built precisely where the council says/wants, but we (the majority, the taxpayers, the electorate) can influence 'traffic islands and crossings').
On the second point:
"Your comment about the station Link road being set in stone is frankly nonsense. This was extensively consulted on and I know you responded. As a direct consequence changes were made, including the abandonment of a cut through for Alderman willey Close. We ptomised residents that if they did not want it it would not happen. Guess what! They did not want so it is not happening. "
Form the outset it was said that the cut-through road was an option to be decided by the residents of AWC. It is NOT a change that was made as a result of listening or consultation, which is how you're presenting it. "please do not rewrite history".
05/11/2012 at 10:19 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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Quite simply Elms Field should not happen. Any SDR development should go round a country park area stretching from Priest Avenue between the London Road and the railway. Any housing should be on the other side of the SDR.
05/11/2012 at 00:00 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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I have attended a number of presentation of the plans for Elms Field etc. In all cases I was met by the reaction to any of my comments with:
There is nothing we can do because the planning authority has already decided.
Surely full consultation involves presenting plans to the public before they are set in stone not after the planning authority has already made its decisions.
04/11/2012 at 23:51 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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04/11/2012 at 12:57 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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Your comment about the station Link road being set in stone is frankly nonsense. This was extensively consulted on and I know you responded. As a direct consequence changes were made, including the abandonment of a cut through for Alderman willey Close. We ptomised residents that if they did not want it it would not happen. Guess what! They did not want so it is not happening.
What was not reported was that the area the other side of the railway nothing is set in stone and the attendees were encouraged to comment when those proposals come forward.
Stig2 - it is clear that you do not understand the planning process. Once outline approval is given you cannot change the content of that approval.
By all means knock the council, which you guys regularly do but please do not rewrite history!
04/11/2012 at 01:53 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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Wokinham Council regularly treats public consultation on outline proposals as a reason for ignoring formal comment when the actual plans are submitted for approval.
Many of the council's proposals such as Elms Field, the station road plans and these Buckhurst Farm devlopments are already regarded as set in stone.
The stupidity of this plan which moves the area of open space out of walking distance for many residents is set in stone. Why won't I be able to walk my dog in open space without having to go there by car once the new road is built?
03/11/2012 at 13:20 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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"Lets build 650 houses (12500 to come BTW!) on the only green space we have left, when we have 500 empty homes which could be occupied and loads for brown field development locations...."
Oh.. and don't worry about the current traffic problems on London road, with all the extra houses you will have to walk everywhere!
03/11/2012 at 08:42 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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02/11/2012 at 15:07 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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