09 Sep 2024
Fresh concerns have been raised about the viability of a major development to the north of St Albans.
The proposals are for approximately 1,100 homes behind the Texaco garage on the Harpenden Road and stretching all the way to the railway line. The area is owned by a number of different groups, and is an area of high quality agricultural land, containing a principal chalk aquifer and wildflower meadows.
Campaign group CLASH insists that the local transport and amenities infrastructure cannot support further development, and air pollution would be made even worse on the main transport link of the A1081 Harpenden Road, which passes St Albans Girls’ School.
The group has engaged a transport consultant to support their objections against two applications made this summer.
The first is for Woollam Park, land off Sandridgebury Lane between the railway and the Harpenden Road. This is for a development of approximately 1,000 new dwellings to include market housing, affordable housing and specialist accommodation for elderly persons, plus community facilities including a two-form entry primary school and neighbourhood centre, replacement playing fields and associated green infrastructure and access.
The second, by Cala Homes, is for land to the rear of 112-156B Harpenden Road, and would provide a residential development of 150 homes.
David Walpole, of THaT Consultancy, provided a damning assessment of the transport and highway issues associated with Woollam Park, which rely upon the creation of new active travel (walking and cycling) routes.
The planning application submitted in July included a Transport Assessment Scoping Report by consultancy PJA, but not a full, robust, realistic and deliverable Transport Assessment and associated Travel Plan.
Mr Walpole said these are fundamental prerequisites when undertaking an Environmental Impact Assessment of a development of this size and type, and without these documents the EIA will be flawed, and its findings unreliable.
“The applicant’s proposed strategy for dealing with the transport and movement impacts of the proposed development is primarily focused on providing off-site sustainable travel infrastructure (cycling and walking). It is intended that this will not only cater for the travel demands of the proposed development, but also result in a modal shift away from car travel in the adjoining neighbourhoods thereby freeing highway capacity which can then be used by the residual development generated traffic.
“We consider that the applicant’s focus on sustainable travel whilst worthy is unrealistic. We consider that there must also be a realistic assessment of the potential traffic impacts that will arise from the proposed development.
“In our opinion these impacts, and any mitigation measures necessitated by such impacts, should be documented in the Transport Assessment even if only as contingency measures should the sustainability targets prove overambitious and unattainable.”
He dismissed suggestions that traffic levels on the Harpenden Road had declined since the pandemic, and highlighted data proving they were actually higher than 2019.
Mr Walpole went on to stress that there are significant highway safety, technical, environmental and landownership constraints associated with providing improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists along Harpenden Road, with insufficient highways land to provide a fully segregated cycleway.
“The proposals would create major highway safety problems by bringing pedestrians and cyclists into conflict with one another, with vehicles entering and leaving the premises along Harpenden Road and with vehicles travelling along Harpenden Road…
“The applicant’s current proposal to turn Sandridgebury Lane into an active travel corridor, and restrict, or prevent, vehicular access should be thoroughly tested and subjected to public consultation before it is included in any planning application. The potential implications on the Potters Wood/Valley Road industrial estate should be thoroughly investigated.”
Mr Walpole is currently finalising a second analysis, this time looking at the Cala Homes proposal.
CLASH spokesperson Gee Smedley said: “We continue to be frustrated that residents are not listened to and we have to continually hire experts to submit the evidence we have gathered.
“The lack of councillor support in Bernards Heath is a huge letdown. What would the three Lib Dem councillors like residents to do in this matter? Ignore the safety issues and the facts?
“It seems as though they prefer to remain silent and not assist residents in this campaign despite dangerous highways proposals being promoted by the developers.”
