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Tesco Forced to withdraw inaccurate Traffic survey. Tesco, who have applied for planning permission to the Welwyn Hatfield Council to convert the former Harvester pub/restaurant in Station Road Cuffley into a Tesco Express store, have run into trouble with their Planning submission. The data and numbers supplied by Tesco in their Traffic Statement and Planning, Design and Access Statement, which accompanied their planning applications, were so flawed and lacking in credibility that they were forced to produce a revised Traffic survey. The situation first came to light when Keep Cuffley Rural planning sub- committee checked through these documents and noticed that their numbers did not make sense. For example Tesco’s report stated that the peak hours of traffic flow in Station Road were between 06:00- 07:00 in the morning and 19:00- 20:00 in the evening. Anyone familiar with Cuffley congestion knows this is not correct. The Tesco report also gave volume traffic flow figures so low that it would mean less than 4 vehicles travelling along Station Road in both directions per minute during peak periods. Assuming the vehicles travel at 30mph this would mean average vehicle separation distances of around 255 yards, irreconcilable with the Hertfordshire Highways Agency “Traffic Sensitive ”designation awarded to Station Road. The Transport Statement also got residents checking their local A to Z directory in an attempt to discover where Lichfield Road, mentioned in the Tesco report as being the site for the new store, was situated only to find it does not exist in Cuffley! The Tesco report was littered with so many similar errors that residents began to wonder whether Tesco’s report was meant for another village! Keep Cuffley Rural believe we are not alone in our experience as other campaigning groups we understand have had similar problems with Tesco planning applications Keep Cuffley Rural was so concerned that an independent Traffic Survey was commissioned from a specialist Transport Data Collection firm, paid for by donations from local residents. The report confirmed traffic levels significantly greater than those contained in the Tesco report. After lobbying the Council and the Highways Agency Tesco eventually admitted that their traffic report was flawed and commissioned another which the planning office received today [16 July]. Keep Cuffley Rural campaigning group however believe Tesco should provide a revised Traffic Statement as the existing document no longer adequately assess the effects of the development based on the new traffic figures. In addition we have been lobbying the planning office to give a 21 day extension from the date the new Transport Statement is available for viewing by the public to enable residents to review the revised documents and have their say based this time on reliable information. The new Tesco report broadly confirms the figures in the Keep Cuffley Rural report. They show revised levels of traffic flow some 5 times higher than the original. This gives nearly 21 vehicles a minute in both directions travelling along Station Road during peak periods and confirms what villagers always knew that the peak periods are 08:00-09:00 and 17:00-18:00. Charles Walker Conservative MP for Broxbourne whose constituency includes Cuffley has taken a keen interest in recent developments. He recently gave speech in a local trading debate in the House of Commons expressing concern about the effect Supermarket dominance is having on local family run small stores and the vitality of villages. He is campaigning to get the Planning laws changed so that people have a greater say on planning issues.
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Release Date-Immediately Queries to David Holland-Keep Cuffley Rural Committee Member Tel. 01707 875458 Mobile 07767 318319 Email: daholland @uwclub.net |
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