Verwood Local Action Group

 

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7pm, Monday 20 th February 2006

Special Meeting to discuss the proposed changes to Edmondsham, Vicarage and Manor Roads

MEETING NOTES

1. Introductions and Welcome

The Chairman, Venetia Hazel, welcomed everyone to the meeting and outlined the agenda for the evening. She introduced County Councillors Spencer Flower and Toni Coombs and invited them to feed back the outcome of the most recent public consultation exercise.

2. Background and Context

Cllr Flower explained that, since May 2005, both he and Cllr Coombs had worked hard on behalf of the community to seek a workable compromise to the proposed road changes. Their aim was to ensure that any scheme coming forward took account of concerns expressed by the public and local businesses, which were not recognised in the 2004 proposals. However, he stressed that they had been elected to represent the views of all of the electorate and not just the vested interest of any particular group.

Cllr Coombs outlined the history of the policy included in the East Dorset Local Plan. She explained that the proposals had been considered by a public inquiry in1994 and were supported by the independent Inspector. The proposals were then rolled forward into the East Dorset Local Plan 1995, which was put on deposit in 1997 and went to a public inquiry in 1999. At that time, there were only 8 written comments on the proposed road closures and pedestrianisation. Again, the proposals were supported by the independent Inspector and the following policies were adopted as part of the East Dorset Local Plan 1992:

Policy V21

On completion of the Verwood Distributor Road (North) and the Verwood Distributor Road (South) the following road closures and re-classification will be implemented:

B3072 Manor Road will be closed to vehicles towards it northern end and the section between its junction with the Verwood Distributor Road (South) and its point of closure will be reclassified as an access road;

The central section of Manor Way will be closed to vehicles;

Edmondsham Road will be closed to vehicles towards it southern end. The section between its junction with the Verwood Distributor Road (North) and its point of closure will be reclassified as an access road;

Vicarage Road will be closed towards its southern end to motor vehicles with the exception of those turning left into Manor Road (subject to review);

Eastworth Road will be closed near its northern end to motor vehicles.

Turning facilities will be provided at the point of closure of each road. In each case the road will remain open to pedestrians, horse-riders and pedal cycles. Access will be maintained to existing properties and businesses via alternative routes.

Policy V22

The northern end of Manor Road, Manor Way and the southern end of Edmondsham Road will be paved and pedestrianised, taking account of the need to provide for the servicing of frontage properties. Facilities will be provided to ensure the provision of safe interchange between differing forms of public transport as well as the safe passage of pedestrians and cyclists.

Cllr Coombs explained that improvement works to the town centre had begun in 1999 and, in November 2004, the Manor Road and Edmondsham Road closure proposals were put out to public consultation. Vicarage Road was not included at this time. Based on comments received from the public and local businesses, the proposals were re-evaluated and amended schemes were put to Verwood Town Council and East Dorset District Council for comment in November 2005, before public display. Further amendments were made at this stage.

The original reasons for the proposed schemes had been tested and it was clear that there was an ongoing concern regarding the conflict between pedestrians and vehicles in the centre of the town. There had been a growth in population (13,681 according to the 2001 census), which had led to an increase in circulating traffic and there were also more shops in the centre, leading to an increase in pedestrian movements. It was further noted that the scheme would be funded from developers' contributions and would therefore not cost the taxpayer.

3. Vicarage Road

Cllr Coombs outlined the options for Vicarage Road as follows:

The conclusion being that the amendment to the Town Council proposals provides the best compromise solution and allows for further extension of the cycle network in Verwood and goes some way to removing the concerns held by East Dorset District Council in 2005.

It was noted that, during the most recent public consultation, 6 letters had been received in response to the Vicarage Road proposals – 2 against and 4 in support. There had also been an email from the Chamber of Trade, but no letters from individual businesses.

Jim Collins of Gilby Cleaners and a member of the Chamber of Trade raised the following points:

•  There had been no comments forms available at the public exhibition.

•  He did not believe that the County Councillors were representing the views of the public and local businesses.

•  If the Local Plan was a “done deal”, why then were the public being consulted?

•  The distributor road was built to relieve pressure on the town crossroads – this had worked and, therefore, there was less need for the road closures.

•  The Inspector had given his views on what was best for the town. However, government policy said that consultations must be with local people. It must therefore be for local people to decide what is best for their town.

•  He disagreed that the revised proposals reflected the public's concerns.

Cllr Flower replied that the lack of comments forms had been an oversight and had been rectified as soon as they were notified. However, this did not stop people from responding to the proposals. He explained that the plans had been shown in their final form, as it was not possible to publicly display plans until a safety audit had been completed. In addition, Cllr Flower said that both he and Cllr Coombs had listened to the public and local businesses and this was reflected in the amended proposals. It was noted that 64 responses had been received during the latest public consultation.

Phil Irving said that these were important proposals affecting the whole of the town. He could only assume therefore that the reason for there being only 8 responses to the 1999 public inquiry was that no one knew of the proposals.

Mr Coppin of Noon Hill Road asked why the councillors had not listened to the 650 people who had signed the petition in 2004 urging the council not to limit access to the town centre. Cllr Flower replied that they had listened, hence the revised proposals that were now under consideration.

Mr Bishop of Vicarage Road spoke in support of the proposals – he also represented residents in 2 other properties in the road. He said that it was a very busy road, which had seen an increase in northbound traffic since the closure of Church Hill. He said it was effectively a one-way street due to the amount of cars parked on the road, with only 2 or 3 passing places along the road. He also said that he had notified the Police on several occasions of speeding vehicles.

Jim Collins agreed that there was a problem with parking in Vicarage Road and suggested that a one-hour waiting limit be introduced. Cllr Coombs said that this was a good idea and agreed to put this suggestion forward to the council.

4. Manor Road

Cllr Coombs outlined the options for Manor Road as follows:

The conclusion being that the revised 2005 scheme should be implemented as it maintains the aims of the Local Plan whilst taking into account concerns of local residents and businesses. It also reduces risk to driver and pedestrian safety. Verwood Town Council and East Dorset District Council supported this in 2005.

It was noted that, during the most recent public consultation, 5 letters had been received in response to the Manor Road proposals – 4 against and 1 in support. There had also been an email from the Chamber of Trade, but no letters from individual businesses.

A resident of Manor Road said that he was disappointed that the road was not going to be completely closed. However, he was happy with the proposed amendment.

Tony Martin of the United Reformed Church said that the original plan had allowed for a turning area near the Church. However, this had been removed from the amended proposal and would no longer allow for hearses and wedding cars to get to the front door of the Church, thereby making these occasions very difficult to conduct. Cllr Flower agreed to take this point back to see if anything could be done to improve access to the Church.

Jim Collins made the following points:

•  The left hand turn from Manor Road onto Ringwood Road would take away passing trade from Ringwood Road and Vicarage Road.

•  He was in favour of traffic lights at the junction and felt that this should be investigated further.

•  He said that Bill Green, a County Council officer, had said that the reason for the road closures was not related to safety.

•  He supported the need for more parking for the United Reformed Church to assist with funerals and weddings.

Cllr Coombs replied that traffic lights were a very expensive option – for example, the new lights at Black Hill and Black Moor Road had cost a total of £320,000. With regard to Bill Green, she stated that he was a very competent technician and that he had been asked an unfair question that was outside his remit.

Catherine Boulton said that people in Verwood were too reliant on their cars. She approved of the proposals and said that it was not far to walk from the car park to the shops. She also said that she had attended public meetings and exhibitions at the time of the public inquiry into the Local Plan.

Mr Wallis, a resident of Manor Road for 20 years, supported the proposals. He said that traffic had increased substantially and, despite the new distributor road, was still used as a rat-run, even by the emergency services. Community Beat Officer Andy Flannigan of Verwood Police said it was their job to respond to emergencies in the quickest way possible.

Mrs Hock, a Neighbourhood Watch representative for 18 years, was concerned that the road closures would affect police response times.

Mrs Matthews of Margards Lane agreed with a point made by Jim Collins. She said that if she drove to the Post Office in Manor Road and then had to turn left onto Ringwood Road, she would not then go on to visit Vicarage Road.

Phil Irving explained that his office was on the crossroads and said that the new distributor road had taken traffic away from this junction. He believed that the traffic and safety issue was a red herring and said that all that was needed was a ‘halt' sign instead of the existing ‘give way' signs – a suggestion he had put forward 20 years ago.

Mrs Powell of Edmondsham Road said that she understood consideration was being given to the installation of traffic lights at the junction of Brock Way and Station Road. She asked whether these traffic lights could be installed at the town cross roads instead. Cllr Coombs replied that these traffic lights were only a suggestion at this time and no decision had yet been made.

A representative of the Royal British Legion asked whether a census had been carried out at the cross roads to count traffic and pedestrian movements. He said he would also like to see comments from the emergency services regarding the proposed closures. He said that he spoke on behalf of 400 paid up members of the RBL and objected to the proposals. However, it was noted that there were 2 members of the RBL in the room, both of whom had not been consulted and did not object to the proposals.

5. Edmondsham Road

Cllr Coombs outlined the options for Edmondsham Road as follows:

The conclusion being that the scheme should be implemented as in the East Dorset Local Plan (Adopted 2002) with the closure point south of Moorlands Road. None of the amendments proposed achieve the objectives of the Local Plan. Verwood Town Council and East Dorset District Council supported this view in 2005.

It was noted that, during the most recent public consultation, 22 letters had been received from residents in Edmondsham Road and surrounding roads – 18 against and 4 in support.

The Chairman reported that she had received a letter in support of the proposed closure from residents in Park Drive. She had also been approached by 2 other residents who had no opinion one way or the other.

Mrs Powell said that 60 residents had signed a petition in November 2005 in objection to the proposals. She asked that this be taken into account when the council discussed the scheme.

Ian Nicholson asked what figures would be taken forward. Cllr Flower replied that he would not only be looking at the results of the most recent consultation but would be taking into account all views made during recent meetings and correspondence. He would take these views to the relevant Committee and Cabinet at the appropriate time.

Roy Slade, Chairman of the Royal British Legion Club, said that the Club was being regenerated and traffic to the RBL would therefore increase. It was noted that the RBL allowed parents of pupils at Hillside First School to park in its car park, in order to relieve congestion in Hillside Road. Mr Slade also pointed out that Trinity First School had not been open at the time of the public inquiry. He was concerned that in a narrow road with no pavements and no streetlights, there was a danger of an accident occurring here.

Phil Irving was concerned about the law of unintended consequences. He was in favour of limiting traffic in Edmondsham Road in order to prevent its use as a rat-run. However, he believed that it should be possible to close the road at a point north of Moorlands Road – he said that it was too important an issue to let the implications of use of common land/public open space stand in the way.

Damien Murphy of Edmondsham Road asked why proposals had been put out to public consultation in the knowledge that residents were against them. He also said not to take those people who didn't reply to the public consultation as acquiescence. Mr Murphy said that there was a need to know how much traffic would be diverted down Edmondsham Road before any decisions were made.

Cllr Coombs said that traffic counts had been carried out as follows:

However, Mr Murphy said that these figures did not discriminate between through traffic and traffic accessing the RBL and Band Hall, therefore the method was flawed.

Mrs Gowan of Edmondsham Road said that the speed of traffic using Edmondsham Road was horrendous and she had great difficulty exiting her driveway because of poor visibility. She was in favour of a road closure at a point north of Moorlands Road.

Bill Davis, Chairman of the Chamber of Trade, said that the traders were one hundred percent behind the closure of Edmondsham Road, but did not want to see it closed at the cross roads.

Mr Brown of Edmondsham Road asked if a closure at the north end of Edmondsham Road had been considered. He said that there was more than enough room here for a turning circle.

Catherine Boulton asked whether it would be possible to trial experimental road closures to determine which location would be the most effective.

6. What Happens Next?

Cllr Flower explained that traffic orders would now be issued for the proposed road closures and the public would have 21 days to comment. The scheme would then by considered by Dorset County Council's Roads and Rights of Way Committee on 15 th May and would be presented to Cabinet for a final decision on 7 th June 2006. He reassured the meeting that he would present the local views at both of these meetings. If the scheme was accepted, road works would commence in July 2006.

7. Access from Potters Wheel Car Park to Manor Road

Cllr Flower explained that a consultation process had begun on the provision of “access by foot” from the Potters Wheel Car Park into Manor Road via the Library. It was proposed that an access gate be installed in the Library grounds and be kept open during library opening hours in daylight, but locked outside of these hours. A copy of the consultation is attached to these minutes. Please note that the comment forms must be returned to East Dorset District Council by Monday 13 th March 2006.

8. Local Development Framework

The Chairman reported that, as many residents were not in Verwood for the original consultations on the East Dorset Local Plan, Cllr Flower had agreed to explain how they could input into the next plan, which would be known as the Local Development Framework.  It was noted that he would be speaking at the next Verwood LAG meeting on Monday 13 th March at 7.00pm in the Memorial Hall.  All residents were urged to attend to understand the importance of their input to this framework and how they could influence the future of Verwood.

 

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MINUTES OF PUBLIC MEETING

AT 18 EDMONDSHAM ROAD

VERWOOD

ON SATURDAY 21st JANUARY 2006 12.30 PM

Attendance:

Councillor Flower

Councillor Coombs

William Green of Highways & Transport, Dorset County Council

Chair of Meeting – Ian Nicholson

Bill Davies Chair of Trade Association

Roy Slade – Chair Age Concern

Chairman of the Royal British Legion

Verwood Viewpoint Assistant Editor

Public Attendance – A record of names attending was taken and is held at 18 Edmondsham road

 

QUESTION: What is the justification of the proposed road closure?

Cllr Flower responded that local plans were drafted in 1995. Following 2 public enquiries Jan 02 and Nov 04 he said it was felt that the number of objections were unsubstantial.

After discussion Cllr Flower stated that the changes were being taken, not on the grounds of safety, but to move the through traffic from the town centre onto the distributor roads (north and south).

Bill Green stated that the East Dorset Local Plan in text form (Vol 1 & 2) were available for view on the Dorset County Council web site and hard copy at the library.

Mr Collins a trader of Vicarage Road stated that in the 2004 consultation 80% of the local community did not want the crossroads closed and called for a new consultation with the local community. That failure to consult the community contravenes Central Government legislation. He reiterated that people were at today's meeting to express their concerns.

Allan Dedden felt that the consultations were very flawed and said that the proposals are ‘ Toy Town ' stuff. The Plans came out pre-formed. No offer came from Councillors to visit Verwood community first.

Phil Irving of Irving & Sons estate agents agreed that consultations were flawed that no-one had consulted him, there was no notice of public enquiry nor did open discussions take place. He went on to say that the Ringwood Road into Station Road vehicle speed would increase if the crossroads were closed as planned and pedestrianisation would kill local businesses. The main reason for the local chamber of trade existence was born out of the proposed road closures. Phil felt that decisions had been made that did not reflect the opinions of Verwood people.

Mr Collins of Vicarage Road asked ‘ Is this a proposal or has this been decided and agreed?' He asked ‘What are the proposals?'

(Due to interruptions no clear response was given at this point.)

Roy Slade stated that the British Legion refurbishment will commence at the end of January 2006 and their business projections indicate increased activity and attendance resulting in increased traffic flow to and from the venue. This traffic will include public vehicles, brewery vehicles, caterer's vehicles as well as caches and mini busses. Should the proposed road closure plans go ahead this would increase traffic down Edmondsham Road . He then went on to highlight the safety concerns of this type of traffic down a narrow, unlit, unpaved road such as Edmondsham Road.

In addition, Age Concern, who frequently use the British Legion Club are also concerned about this scheme and their needs to transport the elderly and infirm in mini buses using Edmondsham Road and Coronation Road . Mr Slade requested for reasons of safety that the Council please reconsider their proposals and keep the crossroads open.

Mr Slade requested a show of hands asking the people present if they would prefer traffic lights to the proposed plans. An exact count of hands was not taken, but the overwhelming majority (approx 95%) were in favour of traffic lights.

Following the vote, Councillor Flower agreed to take this as a valid point for further consideration.

Mrs Nash of Coronation Road , having a young family, was concerned that traffic would use Coronation Road as well as Edmondsham Road to access/exit the public venues in Moorlands Road .

Mr Collins, trader of Vicarage Road , met with Mr Piles (Mr Green's predecessor), and found that Councillors had been swayed by their ‘boss' Toni Coombs and not the Highways authority. In response, Mr Green said that ‘he was paid to serve and advise the Councillors'.

Mrs Dedden, District Councillor ‘95-99 expressed how she had unsuccessfully fought to have the proposed plans changed because they were detrimental to Verwood's needs. To her knowledge there had only been 1 fatality in 20 years and this was not due to the current junction layout. This was supported by Phil Irving who said that since the completion of the Distributor road no accidents to his knowledge had occurred at the crossroads. This comment is felt to be very valid due to the location of his business, which is on the crossroads in question. Mr Irving therefore questioned the need for any further road changes at all, but he suggested increased awareness of the danger of the junction was to use a stop sign rather than give way, as it is currently.

Mr Griffin asked what the process was from now on? Councillor Flower stated that changes would need to be represented. Councillor Coombs stated that once there was an agreed implementation a formal statement of intent of road closure would have to be issued, there was then a statutory objection period for people to respond, then the objections and proposals would go to Road and Rights of Way committee and then to the County Council Cabinet.

Dorothy Woods expressed her concerns about the highly likely future re-development of the land (1 acre) owned by 5 Edmondsham Road, which would generate increased traffic along Edmondsham Road if the junction was closed.

Ian Nicholson asked whether the proposed alternative closure point of Edmondsham Road was feasible. Mr Green stated that there was not enough space to provide the required turning point. Mr Nicholson refuted this as he had taken the design details provided by Mr Green and had physically proved that the alternative site was well within the space requirements. This was later proved to Mr Green with a drawing.

Mrs Powell asked of the possibility of the proposed traffic lights at the junction of the police station and why they couldn't have the left turn only and the crossroads have the traffic lights. Councillor Coombs indicated that these lights had already been agreed with the developers and that subsequent change would be difficult. Mrs Powell also asked what objection the developers might have in the traffic lights being re-sited to accommodate an alternative scheme. (There was no response to this due to other points being raised simultaneously.)

Action point .

The Councillors have agreed to reconsider the following options (some of which may need to be combined).

· Traffic lights set to prioritise Ringwood and Station Road in order to deter through traffic down Edmondsham Road in favour of the distributor road and to improve pedestrian safety at the crossroads. This would mean removal of the current pedestrian crossing.

· Closure of Edmondsham Road opposite the picture framing shop, creating a turning point into the copse area, in order to comply with regulations.

· Replace give way with stop signs at Manor Road and Edmondsham Road exits onto Ringwood Road/Station Road .

It was expressed by attendees on leaving that the meeting had been constructive and asked that the Councillors and Mr Green be thanked for attending, listening and their intention to reconsider the current plans following the views expressed from both residents and traders alike.

Following the meeting Councillor Coombs said that all future developments would be reported at the Local Action Group Meetings (‘LAG'), at which both she and Councillor Flower attend. LAG meetings are held at the Memorial Hall on the second Monday of each month at 7.30pm prompt.

Councillor Coombs suggested that anyone who hadn't sent in a written objection yet, should do so. The address to send objections to :- Mr B Green, Highways & Transportation Department, Dorset County Council, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XJ

(These Minutes reflect the questions, answers and statements that specifically relate to the attached Agenda)