THE routing strategy for the Redditch Eastern Gateway has been approved by Stratford district planners, despite the pleas of local residents.
The strategy, which will send the bulk of HGVs from the Gateway north on the A435 to Junction 3 of the M42, will also see a fair a percentage travel south.
This will send them through the Redditch road network, up Rough Hill Drive before turning left down the A448 at Crabbs Cross island past Studley to rejoin the A435 at Spernall.
Other traffic will head west out the Birmingham Road to Junction 2 of the M42 or along the Bromsgrove Highway to the already busy Oakalls Island to the M5.
Campaigners fear the strategy will create rat runs, increase pollution and will be slow to punish drivers that breach the regulations.
They are particularly aggrieved that the identity of the tenant earmarked for the northern half of the Gateway has not been revealed.
Len Quartly of Winyates Green Residents Association which has the Gateway development on its doorstep, spoke at Monday night’s planning meeting.
“I feel badly let down,” he said. “Despite seven people speaking against it they still went ahead and approved it.
“The thing is it doesn’t really affect Stratford or Bromsgrove, they’re too remote, but we’re not going to give up the fight.”
The strategy has yet to be rubber stamped by Redditch borough and Bromsgrove district planners, the former having delegated the decision to officers, angering campaigners.
“I shall be writing to the chairman of the planning committee in Redditch as I want them to take it back to committee so councillors are accountable,” said Len.
Also objecting at the meeting was Studley with Mappleborough Green Councillor Peter Hencher-Serafin, who said: “We were all extremely disappointed at the outcome, as just recently Stratford District Council voted to go carborn neutral.
“This route will produce more pollution and there is no money for road improvements for at least six years.”
Campaigners say the Routing Strategy’s problems include:
Diverting HGVs onto unsuitable roads past residential properties.
Traffic re-joining the A435 at the Spernall junction will lead to heavy traffic through Coughton and Kings Coughton.
The strategy fails to consider the impact of HGVs on other stretches of affected roads.
Traffic modelling has proved ineffective in cases like Birmingham Road in Stratford.
