One huge traffic jam

We went head to head with CBC last week over Flitt Leys Close and the Central Motors proposal. Here is my interim report to the parish council. More discussion tomorrow night.

Last week Pcllrs Delise Ball, Roger Baker and Laurence Pollock met with senior planners and highways officers and Cllrs Nigel Young (sustainable communities lead ) and Brian Spurr (highways lead) at Chicksands along with our three ward councillors. The aim  was to look at how Flitt Leys Close/Central motors was now the potential access for 135 homes, a health centre, a school and the existing takeaways and to highlight existing issues in the Close.

There are two points of note:

First Brian Spurr has offered, and I am sure we will take it up, to do another site visit to look at the current situation in FLC. This is in the light of our description of the on-going problems as they stand with the hot food takeaways. Parking bays and double yellow lines were discussed with Brian warning that any parking restrictions will cause a public reaction. We acknowledged this but pointed out that CBC in effect had offered to look at the present situation and offer some solutions.  

Secondly Nigel Young went to great lengths to argue that the local development framework including a school in Central Motors had been fully consulted on. Given that the original paperwork simply nominated a school (if needed) I’m not so sure. That option has now become a cast iron certainty with no alternative site permitted. For years we were told the playing field on Home Farm reflected the expansion needed for the Lower School. No one in CBC education or planning has ever stated ‘we need to look for a new school site’.

Others present will I am sure offer more detail and context tomorrow night. 

I appreciated the time spent but I’m not sure CBC 'gets' how a series of poor decisions – inadequate education capacity for Home Farm, poor choice of location for the health centre, permission  to build around a group of  takeaways and single access for a 135-home development are now piling up. Into one huge traffic jam.