EVEN as Studley residents voiced their concerns over the volume of traffic on the A435, another juggernaut is heading down the road.
The proposed Eastern Gateway development on Gorcott Hill is due to go to planning at the three local authorities involved – Redditch Borough Council, Stratford District Council and Bromsgrove District Council.
Ruth Bamford, planning chief for Redditch and Bromsgrove, told the meeting the Gateway had a timetable of its own with set government targets to adhere to.
“The application is in and the clock is ticking for a decision and if none is made it could go to the planning inspector who would make the decision for us,” she told the meeting.
She added that the site, on either side of the Coventry Highway in Redditch consisted of 32 hectares (79 acres), with roughly 20 hectares to the north of the A4023 and 12 to the south. The majority of the land was in Stratford district with about ten hectares in Bromsgrove and just small parts in Redditch.
“It’s not known when the Eastern Gateway will go to council but it could be as early as December,” said Ms Bamford.
It wasn’t lost on the gathering that the development could be built before any measures are taken to ease the situation in Studley, to which Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi said: “All the more reason that we work together and act as quickly as possible, and how important it is that we get funding from the Government because this is a major issue which will continue to haunt us.”
What they said: COUNTY Councillor Clive Rickhards (Lib Dem, Studley), chairman of Warwickshire County Council: “We now clearly have the possibility of some government funding under the Major Roads Network proposals.
“And it seems there is a possibilty of the inclusion of the A435 in this. It’s just a question of coming up with a scheme or schemes to fit this. I just wish there had been more of a discussion on the speed issue and the introduction of average speed limits.
“A bypass can’t ever be the old Western bypass, part of which has been built on, but some of the land is still available so it must be back on the agenda.
“I was trying to get Nadhim Zahawi to make a firm commitment and I’m pleased he did.
“Speaking to him afterwards we can work in a cross-party way on this.”
TRAFFIC campaigner Nicky Edden said: “They were making the right noises but what happens in the meantime while we are waiting for this money to come down the line, if it comes at all?
“The idea that the county council are going to get local hauliers to agree to use a different route is laughable – and as a friend of mine asked, how are they going to get the agreement of all of the Polish and Spanish truck drivers?
“Gateway will be up and running and nothing will have changed here is simply unacceptable.
“HGVs are speeding through the village and we need strict enforcement of the limit.”
