‘You take your life in your hands at danger crossing’
Outrage over delay to traffic lights near park
A developer has delayed its promise to install traffic lights on a “dangerous” road outside a busy park.
Bellway Homes won permission for a controversial scheme to build 421 homes on fields around St Nicholas Church in Otham on appeal last January, despite fears over extra traffic.
However, the planning inspector imposed a condition that first the developer would have to put in traffic signals and an improved crossing at the junction of Willington Street and Deringwood Drive - opposite an entrance to Mote Park used by families as well as children on their way to school.
But the company later applied to Maidstone council to delay that until after the first 100 homes are built and occupied.
Maidstone’s planning committee was going to refuse the alteration, but officers warned they would lose the case and incur substantial costs.
They said councillors’ concerns about the how dangerous and well used the crossing was was anecdotal and Bellway had produced traffic modelling showing the new homes would have little impact.
However, a few weeks before the meeting there had been a serious accident at the junction with a car ploughing through the safety barriers in the centre of the road.
Councillors reluctantly agreed to allow the delay after hearing that Kent Highways had raised no objection.
Cllr Gordon Newton (Ind), said: “Any suggestion to delay signalisation is foolish and it’s dangerous.”
But Cllr Clive English (Lib Dem) moved acceptance of the proposal. He said: “We know it’s the wrong thing to do, but since we have no support from the highways authority, we have to.”
Cllr John Perry (Con) said: “We are in a ghastly position (having to approve). But since we are the custodians of the public purse, we have no option but to approve.”
Cllr Martin Cox (Maidstone Group) suggested the council could go and gather the evidence of pedestrian use itself.
Cllr Tony Harwood (Lib Dem) said: “It’s true - you take your life in your hands crossing at the bottom of Willington Street. We could employ consultants.”
The suggestion was not taken up. Instead the committee voted in favour.
The matter will be decided, however, by an appeal hearing, as Bellway complained the council had taken too long to determine it.