The Local Plan examination Documents can be found here:
https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/154/local_plan_archive/1051/local_plan_archive_examination_documents
The Planning inspectors reports on the Local Plan can be found here:
"EXAM 131 Inspectors’ letter to the Council following the further Hearing Sessions in December 2020 [29th January 2021].pdf"
https://centralbedfordshire.app.box.com/s/xbxhju6kpa8ahubfemyrspq4m32v3dbc
Note the section on the HAS20 site allocation, concerns were raised by the inspectors about highway and pedestrian safety as well as parent parking for the school.
It is also notable that the proposed school will not have an an on-site sports pitch.
Inspectors Report, Page 5
Harlington – Policy HAS20
"29. It has now been demonstrated that the necessary school in Harlington can be accommodated within site HAS20 without the need to extend the site boundary. This is facilitated by, amongst other things, contributions towards off-site sports pitches in lieu of on-site provision. A Main Modification is therefore necessary to require relevant contributions towards upgrading sports pitches nearby."
"30 .Our initial findings also raised concerns with highway and pedestrian safety. In response,an Access Strategy has been prepared (Examination Document EXAM 113E) which proposes a number of highway improvements. The Highways Authority has confirmed that the measures on Station Road and Toddington Road would overcome the concerns expressed. Having assessed the Strategy, we have no reason to disagree with this view and are now satisfied that an acceptable and safe arrangement can be achieved through the planning application process."
"31. However, the issue of parent parking remains. Whilst there would be a requirement to provide a school travel plan, there is still likelihood of parents parking on Westoning Road when dropping off/picking up their children. This would lead to congestion and potential highway safety concerns. In finalising the Main Modifications, it is therefore necessary to include a policy requirement to make appropriate provision for parent parking. The final detail would be for the planning application process to determine."
Note: The Outline Planning Application does not propose any measures for Station road and the Masterplan does not show any parking provisions for the School. It therefore fails to fulfil these key requirements of the HAS20 site allocation.
EXAM113 documents can be found here:
https://centralbedfordshire.app.box.com/s/cstlb8fddk9fxgnd65okl685xqd337ve
The access strategy being referred to above is here:
"EXAM 113E - HAS20 - Access Strategy Summary [10520].pdf"
https://centralbedfordshire.app.box.com/s/cstlb8fddk9fxgnd65okl685xqd337ve/file/667010172126
The Strategy was prepared by consultants WSP for the council.
From page 1 of the EXAM 113E - HAS20 - Access Strategy Summary [10520].pdf
"A review of how people from Harlington village will access the site, and in particular the proposed school, has been conducted and this is set out on Figure 1. Improvements for pedestrians are proposed on both Westoning Road and Station Road / Toddington Road as part of the site proposals.
Figure 1 depicts the most likely route from areas within Harlington to access the proposed school..."
The Plan referred to in Figure 1 shows the school in the far north west corner of the site, this is no longer the case in both the Development Brief and Outline Planning Application, making any arguments presented here invalid.
Note: The access strategy also fails to take into account the increased use of Station Road for access to the new school from the propsed HAS21 site allocation of 140 houses.
Note: The Outline Planning Application which was eventually submitted contains no proposals for Station Road, just a recommendation for some kind of unspecified improvement to be done by somebody else.
Page 3, Westoning Road
- Widening of the existing footway under the rail bridge from c.1m to 1.8m;
- Traffic calming by way of priority control for traffic on Westoning Road under the bridge;
- Widening of the existing footway on Westoning Road to provide a 2m wide footway;
- Improved connections on Westoning Road to Harlington Upper School; and
- Pedestrian and cycle link from Westoning Road into the new site.
Page 4, Station Road and Toddington Road
- Redistribution of carriageway space to allow the existing footway on the rail bridge to be widened from c.1.2m to 1.5m
- New pedestrian crossing facilities at the entrance of the station car park to include dropped kerbs and tactile paving;
- Pedestrian facilities on the southern side of Toddington Road to include a new 2m footway;
- New bus stop facilities on Toddington Road to serve the station;
- New informal pedestrian crossing point on Toddington Road to access the development with the possibility in the future of making this a formal crossing, such as a zebra crossing, should there be a change in traffic flow or pedestrian demand;
- Provision of a new 3m wide footway / cycleway on the northern side of Toddington Road to provide access to the development; and
- Extend the existing 30mph limit west on Toddington Road and introduce traffic calming measures along Toddington Road to further control vehicle speeds.
Note: The Outline Planning Application does not contain a proposal to widen the footway accross the railway bridge. It therefore fails to fulfil one of the key requirements for the HAS20 site allocation
It is good that the inspectors raised concerns about highway and pedestrian safety, but even the proposed measures which have since been dropped would not have been enough to address the safety issues as the whole of Station road is unsafe for pedestrians, not just the railway bridge.
Quoting the planning inspectors letter / report again, on page 8, section 30:
"The Highways Authority has confirmed that the measures on Station Road and Toddington Road would overcome the concerns expressed"
[QUESTION] On what basis have the highways authority confirmed that just widening the footway over the railway bridge would address the safety concerns for the whole of Station Road? Where are the Documents to support this? [/QUESTION]
The Required surveys and audits in order to determine this important question would not have existed at this stage of the process. A plan for Station Road has since appeared as part of the outline planning application along with a Road Safety Audit, both of which attempt to falsely convey the situtation.
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