Council slams "inadequate" Sandleford plans

Highways team's damning response to the district's largest application

WEST Berkshire Council’s highways team has launched a scathing attack on the Sandleford Park planning application and told the developer to go back to the drawing board before it can think about seriously considering it.

Developer Bloor Homes Southern has submitted proposals to build 2,000 new homes, two new primary schools and a 215-acre country park on land off Monks Lane in south Newbury.

However, in its formal response to the district’s largest-ever residential development, the highways department blasted the developer’s traffic surveys as inaccurate and out-of-date and said its plan to adapt junctions and roundabouts to cope with the extra traffic was fundamentally flawed.

In the response, the council’s highways and development control team leader, Paul Goddard, questioned the developer’s claims that Sandleford could work with two access roads rather than four, saying it was “anything but proven”.

He added: “It is clear that by having an access on to the A343 (via Warren Road) and the A339, in addition to the two accesses on to Monks Lane, traffic levels from the development are reduced along Monks Lane within Newbury town centre and fronting Park House School.”

Mr Goddard added that Newbury was already heavily congested and was becoming an “increasing concern”.

Mr Goddard was also critical of the developer’s proposed improvements to several roundabouts and junctions, including the double roundabout in Wash Common, saying it was ill-thought out.

He added that highway officers had been “proactive” in trying to secure an access road on to the A339, but blamed Bloor for being “uncooperative” about providing the land.

Part of the response said: “Such an access will not only serve the Sandleford Park development, but also a new Highwood Copse Primary School, south of Newbury College, being proposed by West Berkshire Council Educantion Services. It is certain that it will also serve as a second access for the Newbury College.”

In Mr Goddard’s response, he also said that Bloor had “failed to engage” in the council’s pre-application discussions, adding: “I consider this unfortunate as such discussions could have been crucial and would have avoided much of what will be raised in this response.”

The controversial Warren Road access was also noted – but Mr Goddard hinted that he would look favourably on the proposals.

“We are aware of significant opposition to the access and traffic signal junction on to the A343 via Warren Road, but it is considered that this access will also take development traffic away from the A343 Andover Road fronting Park House School.”

Mr Goddard said he would prefer to see Bloor spend extra money on infrastructure rather than build a 170-metre road bridge through the site as proposed.

He thought that having two developers involved could provide uncertainty on delivery of the entire scheme and the associated infrastructure.

In its conclusion, the council said that, in order to progress the planning application, it needed more detail on mitigation and traffic distribution and phasing.

To read the full response to the Sandleford application, visit http://planning.westberks. gov.uk/rpp/index.asp? caseref=15/02300/OUTMAJ and click on highways response.