REDDITCH MP Karen Lumley, MP has taken up the issue of residents’ fears concerning a revised road junction in Wire Hill as part of a new housing development off Nine Days Lane.
The borough council approved plans for the construction of 131 new houses at the site at their planning meeting in October, but as part of the plans Worcestershire County Council, who are the highways authority, recommended changing the priority for traffic at a new junction being proposed off Nine Day Lane.
As revealed in last week’s Redditch Standard, the junction will serve traffic onto the new housing estate, but is situated at the bottom of a steep road leading to the existing Wire Hill estate and residents fear the proposal could be dangerous, especially in the winter months with ice on the road as they may be unable to stop quickly enough at the new T-junction.
Nearly 30 Wire Hill residents have written to Mrs Lumley on the subject and asked her to see what she can do.
She said: “I can see exactly what the residents are talking about here and would have the same concerns if I lived there.
“I am told Worcestershire County Council were presented with outdated accident report data at the meeting and that in fact there have been accidents on that section of the road more recently than the data provided indicated.
“Due to the seriousness of the matter I met with Worcestershire County Councillor and Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways, Marcus Hart on Friday, to discuss the issue. He has agreed to meet me on site, with residents, to discuss their concerns.”
Last week Coun Hart (Con, Kidderminster, St Johns) said: “Worcestershire County Council, as highways authority, was asked to review this application as part of our statutory obligations. The review concluded that the proposal to change the junction priority was acceptable and made our representation to Redditch BC on that basis. We will consider any petition once it is submitted.”
