BISHOP’S STORTFORD NORTH (BSN) – Application to construct a new 2 Form Entry primary school. Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) Planning reference: PL/0238/21
The BSDFA has responded to the above-mentioned HCC Planning Application recommending that this infrastructure project also takes the opportunity to make improvements and enhance safety on the local rights of way network.
Our full response to HCC is detailed below:
“We have no issues with the construction of a new school within Bishop’s Stortford North but have concerns regarding pedestrian and cyclist safety and would like the following to be considered as part of this new development’s approval.
The new school will have Wickham Hall Drive (Bishop’s Stortford bridleway 008) on its western border. This is a very popular pedestrian and cyclist route for residents linking to the Wickham Hall Business Centre and the extensive public right of way network beyond. To the north of the A120 underpass David Harvey (Wickham Hall’s owner) has constructed a sealed footway which segregates pedestrians from vehicular traffic. To the south there is no segregation and pedestrians are placed in conflict with vehicles. We expect that the school construction will result in more families using the bridleway to access the Business Centre cafe (Rosey Lee) and would like to see the construction of a southern section of sealed footway to link with that already in place.
We would also like to see the introduction of traffic calming on the southern section of Wickham Hall Drive as vehicles heading to the Business Centre generally disregard the ‘advisory’ 10 mph speed limit. To the north of the underpass speed humps have been introduced and these have proved to be effective in controlling speed on this section.
The ‘Draft Travel Plan’ includes the following statement:
“3.5.3 An existing Public Right of Way is located immediately to the west of the site. PRoW 8 in the form of a bridleway, would enable a pedestrian connection between the development and A1250 Hadham Road to the south to be provided.“
The public bridleway (Bishop’s Stortford 008) terminates at its junction with Bishop’s Stortford footpath 007 – this is a couple of hundred metres north of the Hadham Road junction. We have previously received a commitment from the BSN Consortium that they will dedicate this missing link as a public bridleway once the western section of BSN has been completed. We consider that it is important for this link between BS bridleway 008 and Hadham Road to be created prior to the opening of the new school as it will provide a safe and sustainable access route for parents and children.
A final point relates to safety concerns regarding the point where BS bridleway 008 is crossed by Newland Avenue. There is currently no formal crossing point here nor warning signage for motorists. There is also a lack of signage for the bridleway in both directions. Ideally we would like to see the introduction of a signalled crossing at this point.“
Here’s a link to the planning application if you would like to add your own comments.
Planning Register | Hertfordshire County Council
The expiry date for comments is 13/01/22.
