Stop Wrexham Council
Help us to STOP Wrexham Council by signing the Petition
Further background reading on this issue can found in an article we produced back in August 2021 – Failures of Wrexham CBC Highways Dept
Wrexham Council are planning to create an unsafe footway on the Holt Road (B5102) for the sole benefit of Castle Green Homes development of Bellis Fields North & South of Lane Farm Rossett. There has been no consultation with the Community on this footway alteration. WCBC and the Developers have commissioned safety reports on the proposals to which they have been advised that the risks of collision between vehicles and pedestrians will increase on this section of roadway.
The proposed footway is judged to be unsafe and will discriminate against persons with a disability and/or protected characteristics as well as people with prams and/or young children. In the words of the latest report to WCBC by their paid consultants the Council are advised that:
“Even with the proposed traffic calming the risks of anticipating that wheelchair users will travel on a live road for even approximately 20m is not acceptable. We do not believe this arrangement will pass a Road Safety Audit assessment”.
As far back as 2015 the Planning Case Officer advised the Developer’s Agent on pedestrian linkages:
“There is minimal and in places no pedestrian provision along Holt Road for approximately 300 metres to the west of the site. I would therefore suggest it is not shown as a potential pedestrian corridor on any supporting documents or within a highways/transport assessment”.
It is clear that the Planning Case Officer has known for the last 7 years that the Holt Road presented a danger to pedestrians and has consistently attempted to conceal or dismiss the dangers to pedestrians on this roadway. The proposals have already been severely criticised by the Developers own Road Safety Audit and another independent Highways consultant. Even the Planning Department Commissioned Disability Impact Assessment advises that wheelchair users should not be encouraged to use the roadway.
The Wrexham Council must not be encouraging or allowing the verge to be altered in anyway that increases the risk of collisions between pedestrians and vehicles.
We call upon WCBC to now stop these footway proposals which have been known for many years by the Planning Officers to be unsafe.