Road scheme that will "bring traffic chaos to Potton" approved after planning appeal

A road scheme which would “bring traffic chaos to Potton” has been approved, after it was included in a planning condition on a development which was allowed on appeal.

The housing project was refused by Central Bedfordshire Council partly because of highways and access grounds, according to a traffic management meeting report.

An application has been submitted by the applicant for the discharge of condition seven, subject to this traffic regulation order being granted for double yellow lines along three sections of The Ridgeway, said the report.

The planning inspectorate ruling activated the condition which stated: “No development shall begin until proposals for parking restrictions on The Ridgeway have been agreed by the local planning authority (CBC).

“There were 17 responses from the public, one in support, two in partial support and 14 objections, 13 of which were about a general loss of residential parking and the other over the statutory consultation,” added the report.

“It’s noted that some displacement may occur because of the new restrictions.”

Graham Arnold has lived in The Ridgeway since 1988. “There’s never been a parking-related incident, which required the intervention of the police or a traffic warden in those 35 years,” he explained.

“CBC has never received a petition from the local residents for these lines to be extended. The sole motive for this is trying to help Tilia Homes achieve access into a parcel of land, known as HA09.

“These changes would only increase the speed motorists drive up this road and create a parking problem elsewhere in the town.

“Surely the planning department should have insisted Tilia use the route by Whitfield Road, which would disturb fewer people, be more direct and remove the need for alterations to other roads, such as Sutton Mill Road?”

Independent Potton councillor Tracey Wye said: “It’s a road which doesn’t have a problem and it’s essential for parking because the many surrounding properties don’t have off street parking.

“To displace vehicles … where? There’s literally nowhere else to put them, purely to enable another development to come along and cause more traffic chaos in the town.

“It’s a sad day when the local authority is supporting this rather than local residents to bring in new houses at the expense of their amenity. That’s wrong. This doesn’t make sense to me and isn’t a holistic view of the town.

“There’s a tarmacked road built pointing straight towards the site the company wants to develop, but it never managed to negotiate or agree a route using that.

“It would much rather ruin The Ridgeway, Sutton Mill Road … I think the developer has taken its eyes off The Paddocks, but who knows for how long.

“This is a belligerent desire to take these roads and inconvenience everyone living there to build a bunch of houses nobody wants, apart from the future residents. The whole thing is badly planned and I’d urge you to say ‘no’, if you can.”

Independent Sandy councillor and executive member for highways Simon Ford opted to install the scheme having taken legal advice and visited the area.