Alarm raised over construction traffic from new development - The Redditch Standard

Alarm raised over construction traffic from new development

Redditch Editorial 18th Feb, 2022   0

RESIDENTS are facing years of disruption from the vast housing development destined to be built off Foxlydiate Lane and Birchfield Road.

That’s the message from local residents in nearby Bentley who say they are already dealing with rat run drivers avoiding congestion on the A448 Bromsgrove Highway and the A38.

Some 2,560 homes are scheduled to be built on the site over 15 years and members of Bentley Pauncefoot Parish Council say none of the lessons have been learnt from the disruption caused when just 200 houses were built in Church Road, Webheath.

Initially Foxlydiate Lane will be used for access to the development before an entrance from Birchfield Road is constructed to complete the bulk of the site.




Referring to the original Redditch Borough Council planning minutes, Councillor Roz Bewsher, chair of Bentley Pauncefoot Parish Council, said: “Committee members were told that Foxlydiate Lane would be used for ‘only’ 24 weeks and there would ‘only’ be about five vehicles per day.

“Yet the developer’s own environmental statement estimates 52 to 78 weeks and 47 vehicles per day.


“They can’t both be right.

“There is no condition, attached to the approval, that limits the number of construction vehicles that will use Foxlydiate Lane each day.”

She added that any hope traffic problems might be eased once the Birchfield Road entrance is built is wrong.

“The entrance on Foxlydiate Lane will be the only access in and out of the site for all the traffic for the first 399 houses,” she said.

“The residents will have to leave site for everything, using Foxlydiate Lane.

“Much of this traffic will try to avoid the hold-ups around Birchfield Road so watch out residents in Bentley and Webheath.”

She added that a Freedom Of Information request revealed emails confirming the developer is free to direct all traffic out onto Foxlydiate Lane and use Cur Lane to travel towards Bromsgrove.

“The Parish Council was assured the construction vehicles would be prevented from using the lanes to get to and from the site but there is no condition preventing this,” said Coun Bewsher.

“Residents are being sentenced to years of disruption on our local roads.”

West Ward Councillor and Leader of Redditch Borough Council Matt Dormer said: “Whatever problems arise we will do whatever we can to mitigate any issues arising, and I am more than willing to have that conversation.

“I’m in a boat the opposition put me in (the development was approved under the previous Labour administration) but we are where we are.”

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