Bishop's Stortford LibDems Oppose New Schools' Applications

5.26.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 21st Jul 2010

Haymeads Lane/Dunmow Road Junction - rush hour

There is the opportunity to sign a petition at the end of this article.

The Bishop's Stortford Liberal Democrats are opposed to the Planning Applications for the Herts & Essex and Bishop's Stortford High Schools to move to Green Belt land south of the town and to the building of a total of 690 dwellings on the two vacated sites and the Herts & Essex Playing field site at Beldams Lane plus the site at Patmore Close, originally earmarked for a new school.

Not only would the proposed moves of the two schools involve the loss of Green Belt land (a robust enough objection on its own), the additional housing and the proposed position of the schools would intensify existing traffic problems, particularly at junctions. There would be more 'rat-running' to avoid the inevitable congestion, to the detriment of residents in the side roads. Typical examples would be the congestion problems being exacerbated at both the Haymeads Lane/Dunmow Road and the Beldams Lane/Hallingbury Road junctions with the development of the Beldams Lane site.

The County Council has not satisfactorily demonstrated the need for the schools to move, particularly the Bishop's Stortford High School. The Patmore Close location originally ear-marked for a school is, together with the adjacent defunct orchard site, more than adequate for the required size of school, including room for future expansion.

Students that currently walk or use the train would, with the schools' out-of-town locations, be more likely to be brought in by car, adding to the general traffic congestion, and pollution, while coaches bringing in those from further afield would only make a bad situation worse.

Whichever entrance area is chosen, Obrey Way or Whittington Way or both, the entrances and exits to the proposed sites are very narrow and the amount of traffic generated around them would cause term-time misery for the local residents.

In summary, this is a somewhat selfish development proposal that has been ill-thought through with little regard for the wide-ranging ramifications on the town and its residents.

We will watch, with interest, the position taken by the Bishop's Stortford Conservatives to these applications.

You can sign a petition, organised by the Bishop's Stortford Civic Federation, at www.ipetitions.com/petition/oppose_schools_move NOTE: As soon as you click 'sign', your signature will have been recorded. Please do not worry if the page then goes to a donation page, you do not need to make a donation to sign the petition.

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