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Somerset Councillor for Frome North (Lib Dem) Learn more
by adamboyden on 15 July, 2014
Stonebridge Tesco/shops extension and housing:
Plans have been submitted to Mendip District Council for the extension to the Tesco Express store and the pharmacy at Forest Road, Stonebridge, the creation of an additional smaller shop unit, and 4 residential flats above, with an extension and amendments to the existing car park. This news is also in this week’s Frome Standard and Frome Times.
Some 5 trees would be removed to fit in more car parking spaces. With 3 new spaces and 4 spaces being dedicated to the residents of the new flats, the public car park would lose 1 space. Traffic generation has not been assessed. Residents have told me that at peak times, there are not enough parking spaces in the car park, and parking and congestion on Forest Road and Stonebridge Drive then becomes a problem for residents. So it seems sensible to ask for a review of parking provision here. However, the Somerset Highways officer does not think parking or traffic are a problem, and has not objected to the plans.
To look at the plans and reports, and to comment on the planning application please see here and add your comments here (www.mendip.gov.uk, do a Planning Application search for reference 2014/0970). Please also let me know what you think so I can represent any concerns to Mendip’s planners. Comments must be received by Mendip by Tuesday 22 July 2014.
Stonebridge Drive Traffic calming
After complaints about the ‘speed cushions’ and the 2m wide gap between them which allows drivers to speed through the middle, county councillor Sam Phripp and I have been in discussion with Somerset Highways officers, to see if the cushions could be replaced with something better, and whether the speed limit could be reduced to 20 mph, to improve safety for road users and pedestrians in your street. A ‘small improvement scheme’ could be worked up and submitted this autumn for consideration by the County Council. However, the Highways officer has told us that the panel might not approve any changes at all, if there have not been enough accidents and traffic is not fast enough to warrant it. So if you have you had any minor accidents or near misses lately, or any other evidence that the current speed humps are not working and need to be changed, please let me know.
It may also be possible for the Tesco development to help fund a new traffic calming scheme, so I am asking if this is possible, although it seems unlikely.
Please let me know if you are happy with the current traffic calming scheme or want it changed, so I can represent your views.
8 Comments
I have lived in Stonebridge on or just off the main drive for nearly 40 years.I have never seen the Police speed camera where traffic calming is in place but have seen it often in Brunel Way probably because they reckon most speeding takes place on this stretch of road.I am confident this will be confirmed by the Speedwatch co-ordinator. This issue of restoring the speed humps to again cover the complete road seems to be driven by one resident,who lives close to this traffic calming, who I noted supported you in our recent by-election.Perhaps you should act in the interests of all the residents on Stonebridge not merely one of your activists,and should take wider soundings on the estate than you seem to have done so far.
Thanks Mike for your comments. I was taking soundings on the web, that’s the idea, and you are the first to comment. I hope to take some more soundings by letter and calling round on all residents in the area, later in the week, which will help me understand what everyone else thinks.
Also, to clarify, the resident who was photographed on my leaflet for the byelection is not a party activist, just a local resident, a retired safety engineer, who was concerned about the safety of the traffic calming scheme which allows people to drive through the middle at speed. The planning application gives another possible option so it is time to find out if other residents along that stretch are happy with the road as it is or not. I can also ask County Highways to again assess the need for some form of traffic calming along your stretch too.
Adam, I described him as an activist not a party activist as I would have no way of knowing if he is a LibDem,I think it is accurate to say he actively supported you.As I said in my earlier comments surely the person with data on speeding on this estate would be the Speedwatch co-ordinator,Ashley Reay who also lives on Stonebridge. I am not asking for traffic calming measures to introduced near to our home.I recognize you do not live in College Ward and so will not experience actual happenings in the ward and feel it is important you do not rely solely on residents or particularly a resident who helped you electorally.I note he has also written to the press expressing support for you.I wonder if he will continue to do so if his campaign is unsuccessful?
I feel that with all the bends in Stonebridge Drive together with the amount of parked cars, there is no need for any traffic “calming” measure at all, yet alone more. I live at the other end of Brunel Way and just hope no such humps are introduced at our end. The humps require you to drive between them as we pay enough for suspension replacements due to all the pot holes and bad condition roads in Frome. Rather than wasting money on traffic calming, why not spend it fixing the road opposite Fromefield post office properly rather than the awful bodge job that has been done? And I agree with Mike – don’t pander to one person views.
On Tesco extension – firstly the link to leave comments sends you to the flytipping page. Tesco currently creates parking havoc at busy times with cars regularly parked right up to the roundabout at Stonebridge Drive (Brunel Way end). This sometimes makes it near impossible to get to the roundabout. It also creates danger for cars coming into Brunel end of Stonebridge from Forest Road and danger for anybody trying to cross the road adjacent to Tesco, especially children as they are having to cross between parked cars. The car park is not adequate now, there should be double yellow lines from the roundabout for at least 30 yards, and extending Tesco will inevitably lead to more cars driving to the shop. More space = more products = more likely to use a car to carry the shopping in. Be serious – we do not need a Tesco neo-supermarket. (in fact some of us don’t want a Tesco at all!)
Barry, thanks for the response. Sorry about the link, I have fixed it now. I will ask MDC planning and Somerset Highways officers, and the developer, to get them to understand and address the peak time parking issue, and I hope they listen and come up with a solution. Highways have not objected and are content with a planning condition. Please do send your comments in to Mendip’s planning officers directly also, the more the better.
On traffic calming, there is no current plan to look at putting anything into your end of the road. I have seen the bumpy road at Fromefield and will get on to Somerset Highways about that. Thanks, Adam
I would also agree that with Barry Lawrences comment that no further traffic calming measures are needed on Stonebridge.