Whitehouse Farm Development: revised traffic calming proposals October 2015

As readers will know from previous posts – and the meeting in July if you were there – Miller Homes and Linden Homes, the developers of the Whitehouse Farm site, commissioned traffic consultants Vectos to come up with proposals for traffic management and calming on the Whitehouse Farm development site and the surrounding streets.

A note by Vectos (ref N37/110013 and dated 19 October) has appeared on the CDC planning portal. This is a summary update of the situation as at autumn 2015 and is an addition to the note Vectos prepared as an outcome of the onsite consultation meeting with residents etc at St Pauls Road and Sherborne Road, dated June but in fact a delayed recording of the meeting in late April.

A reminder

For those who have forgotten or perhaps never knew, here is a map of the intended development. Note the two exits onto existing roads: Old Broyle Road and Westgate and the likelihood of increased traffic also down Orchard Street, Sherborne Road and Parklands Road.

If you are not up to speed on the general proposal then read this post first. You can also read this article in association with the series if you want the history of these decisions.

New Maps

Following criticism from WSCC that the developer’s traffic proposals were not sufficiently sustainable, they have come up with not much more than a tweak or two of their original plans. But there are some differences and overall these proposals are more coherent and focussed than the ones presented at the July “consultation”.

The Westgate-Sherborne Road Junction

A lot depends on when the southern exit from the site is built but we can bank on an increase of traffic using the roundabout at the junction of Sherborne Road with Westgate. Here is their current proposal for improving the junction:

Note that the copse to the left of the roundabout will disappear in favour of a bus turning lane.

A “Cyclists Only” westerly entrance to Westgate?

Interestingly, in a second drawing, this proposal has been modified – at WSCC request apparently – to show how the western entrance to Westgate could be made “Cyclists Only”, a move designed to reduce traffic flow towards the city via Westgate and move it onto Via Ravenna, a road that was originally built as the Westgate Bypass it must be said. Local traffic would have to access Westgate from the east where it would be joined by traffic returning to the Whitehouse Farm development, which could make for busier evenings than mornings.

The Southern Exit onto Westgate

If the southern exit is built, this is the line it is proposed it will follow:

Note that a majority of the houses on the south side of this end of Westgate will find themselves in a quiet cul-de-sac. This is because Bishop Luffa School proposes to sell land from its playing fields in exchange for new playing fields to the west of Centurion Way, in order for the main part of this route to exit the southern end of the development from beyond what is now Centurion Way. The direction of the final few yards of Centurion Way itself would be redrawn.

Traffic Calming measures on Westgate

Once on Westgate itself there seems very little difference in the traffic calming measures along the street to what is already in place, apart perhaps for a centre line down the conservation part of the street presumably to seek to keep the two-way traffic apart:

Apologies for the small size of this but you can zoom it on screen.

The Westgate-Ave de Chartres Junction

There seems to be no continuous cycle route to the above proposal, nor are the “Westgate Narrows” at the conservation end dealt with at all, but the Westgate roundabout junction with Ave de Chartres would be redesigned for cyclists:

It is worth remembering that these are just proposals designed to gain outline planning permission for the development. None of these will necessarily get off the page once detailed planning applications are made in relation to traffic-calming along Westgate.