Postby Simont » Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:16 pm
The entrance to the site is planned to be more or less where the existing entrance is. We absolutely recognise the need for Park Lane to be wide enough between the entrance and A4 to enable two way traffic and this will be shown on future plans. This will encourage more people to arrive and leave via the A4 reducing rather than increasing the amount of traffic in the rest of the village including the rest of Park Lane.
You commissioned a Priliminary Access Report that was very specific about not widening the Lane as you suggest in the above post
Access from Park Lane
3.6. Any access from Park Lane should be in the vicinity of the existing field access. This existing gateway would need widening to provide for a width of “about” 6m so as to allow easy ingress/egress of vehicles. Consideration has been given to widening Park Lane between its junction with the A4 and this access, however, such widening would have the potential to encourage visitors to the village hall to park on Park Lane (thus, in any event restricting traffic flows to a single width), and encouraging non‐village hall users (ie. those visiting the Downs to park on this section of widened lane). A balance will therefore have to be struck between facilitating two‐way traffic movements between the site access junction and the A4 and the consequence of facilitating on‐street car parking along this section of road. Waiting restrictions are unlikely to be effective in preventing such on‐street car parking given the lack of enforcement which is likely to be available.
3.7. Accordingly, it is recommended that, if access is to be from Park Lane, the lane should be widened for a short distance (approximately 15‐20m) from the A4 give‐way line, sufficient to allow a large vehicle to exit from the lane at the same time as a vehicle is turning into the lane. This widening should not, in our view, be extended back to the access point as this would encourage more general parking in the widened section.
Wiltshire Highways are certainly very comfortable with the above PAR recommendation... I am of course fully aware that everything is subject to change but your latest post is not one I would expect from the Chairman of the Steering Group committee. I am extremely disappointed by it and believe you owe me an explanation.