Report of the Wivenhoe Town Council Cook’s Shipyard
Section 106 Working Party
1.1 The Working Party (WP) was established by the Town Council in March 2002 specifically to consider aspects of the development of Cook’s Shipyard by Lexden Restorations that would most likely fall under a Section 106 agreement.
1.2 Working Party has comprised Town Councillors and representatives of the following organisations: Wivenhoe Society, Angelsea Road Residents Association, East Street & Brook Street Residents Association, Wivenhoe Fishermen’s Association, and the Shipyard Project.
1.3 Apart from meetings locally involving the core group of 13 people, meetings also at Lexden Grange with CBC officers, the developer, legal people and LR’s site architect. Cllr Peter Hill and Cllr Richard Davies have represented the WP at these meetings.
1.4 In addition to meetings, there has been substantial e-mail contact amongst WP members and other Cllrs (including Wivenhoe Ward Cllrs) involving the review of all documents and letters.
2.1 In April, at our request, Highways Officer Richard Martin led us around the access roads to understand his list of proposals that were approved by CBC Planning Committee in March (see Appendix). Some modifications proposed before detailed highway drawings commissioned from Lexden Restorations.
2.2 Two week public consultation period organised by WP end July / early August on highway plans. WP wrote to all householders in 10 affected roads inviting residents to review plans in WTC offices and offer comments (some 50 comment forms completed) which have been considered and noted by the WP.
3.1 Queens Road. The residents of Queens Road almost all expressed a preference for the closure of Queens Road at its junction with Valley Road (Option 1). Their reasoning for this is that traffic (car and motor-bike) is inclined to travel too fast down the hill. More traffic would impair road safety for road users and pedestrians on this narrow street.
3.2 Valley Road. The residents of Valley Road are now aware that potential closure of Queens Road means all traffic exiting Cook’s via Anglesea Road will come past their front doors (CBC Planning Committee agreed this recommendation in March). It is pointed out that many residents are forced to keep their cars on the highway due to the steep nature of the drive-ways in part of the road closest to Angelsea Road, thereby creating a chicane effect through them and a single traffic flow. Also, this road is used by many school-children as a route to Millfields School and that Valley Road can occasionally flood for short periods, close to Sandford Close, after periods of intense rain, requiring an alternative route to Anglesea Road. For these reasons, the residents of Valley Road are opposed to Queens Road Option 1.
3.3 Recommendation: The preference of the Working Party is for Option 2 (i and ii) that creates traffic-calming speed tables and improved pedestrian safety measures at the junctions of Queens Road with Park Road (2i) and also before its junction with Valley Road. This will have the effect of sharing traffic using the Anglesea Road route between Queens Road and Valley Road, giving an alternative to drivers in the event one or other of the roads is blocked for whatever reason. The speed tables at two points on Queens Road should address the legitimate concerns of residents about existing traffic speeds as well as those arising from increased traffic volumes.
4.1 A detailed survey was undertaken of people living in The Folly about proposal to convert the gravel surface to hardened one. Almost unanimously rejected by residents on grounds of safety. Gravel surface gives warning of approaching cyclists as well as containing speed. WP recommendation that this proposal be deleted from S106.
4.2 Access to The Folly. Cars not belonging to residents of The Folly often use this by-way as a short cut to Bethany Street and there are legitimate fears that this situation will worsen with the development of Cook’s. A barrier is not possible as status of road is a by-way with public right of way for motor vehicles. WP recommendation that entrance to The Folly at Cook’s Shipyard end be designed to discourage use by non-residents of The Folly (Note: Request taken on-board by Jonathan Frank).
5.1 WP sought to get all highway improvements completed before construction commences, however no legal basis for this. Agreed however for all to be completed before the first occupation of a residential property.
5.2
Lexden Restorations will however undertake highway
improvements on the primary access route, provided all parties agree this
route. WP Recommendation: This route should be Queens Road/ Anglesea Road
with speed tables constructed at junction with Park Road and near junction with
Valley Road. NB Speed tables are substantial area of raised block paviors.
5.3 Construction working limited to 07.30 to 18.00hrs.
5.4 Re Anglesea Road. Lexden Restorations have agreed with the Residents Association to maintain the road during the construction period but will want the road made up to a reasonable standard beforehand.
8.1 There will be considerable public access through the site, along the river edge, Wet Dock area and on the jetty (although will be owned by Residents Co.)
9.1 These are defined as the Wet Dock, Fishermen’s Store, Toilet, Slipway, Dinghy Park and Visitors Car Park.
9.2 Following much negotiation, these facilities have now been secured for the Wivenhoe Fishermen and the public by means of a 999 year Lease to WTC. Conditions will apply to the management of them by WTC as contained in the Lease.
10.1 Members of the WP were pleased to see that LR had agreed to 25% of the residential property being offered for social housing (although would have preferred 25%of all the property including polyfunctional units). LR has pointed out the unfairness of this ratio on subsequent discovery that CBC have been doing deals this year with other developers with a much lower ratio (10 - 15%).
10.2 The hope of achieving priority for Wivenhoe residents on the CBC housing list in need of social housing in Wivenhoe looks very unlikely with opposition from CBC Housing, despite support for the Wivenhoe Housing Trust’s proposals from LR and Colne Housing.
11.1 The WP has also expressed views and made recommendations on other aspects of the Section 106 concerning polyfunctional units, public access, cyclists, visitor moorings which have been taken into consideration.
12.1 Meeting arranged with Highways Engineers to discuss the WP highways recommendations. The objective is not just to get the WP recommendations agreed but also incorporated in the S106 document before it goes to the CBC Planning Committee instead of as a recommendation to amend the Planning Committee’s previously adopted highways wish list.
Cllr
Peter Hill
Secretary, WTC Cook’s Shipyard Section 106 Working Party
Appendix:
A. Highway improvements agreed by CBC Planning
Committee March 2002:
The implementation of a package of off-site highway
works at no expense to the Council to include:
(i) Work at the junction of Queens Road and Valley Road to encourage / force vehicular traffic to use the Valley Road route in lieu of Queens Road/Park Road or Queens Road/High Street. NB. Depending on details this may include other calming devices in Queens Road.
(ii)
The
changing of road priority at the Station Road junction with High Street, including
a speed table extending across the junction with Alma Street.
(iii)
Junction
protection at Anchor Hill/East Street to force safer manoeuvring around this
bend.
(iv)
Provision
of a protected build out on East Street, most likely in the vicinity of the
fish and chip shop, to reduce speeds on this narrow but straight road.
(v)
Provision
of over-run areas on the right angle bends in Brook Street to reinforce the
road geometry and alert drivers to the possible presence of pedestrians.
(vi)
The
extension of the junction protection parking restrictions at the Belle Vue Road
junction with High Street to improve visibility.
(vii)
The
provision of a small number of short parking restricted areas on the Avenue to
allow more efficient shuffle working of traffic.
(viii)
The
provision of a hardened surface, suitable for cyclists, on The Folly between
the site and Bethany Street (so far as rights permit).
(ix) Signage on the spine route directing larger
vehicles to the site via the Belle Vue Road / Valley Road route.
(x) Formation of a square with 20mph gateway at the site entrance,
junction of Brook Street and St Johns Road.
B.
Specific
amendments to this Highways list being
sought by WTC Cook’s Shipyard S106 WP:
- Amend item 1 to simply ‘Traffic calming in Queens Road at its junction with Park Road and before its junction with Valley Road’
- Delete item 8 and replace with alternative wording to require ‘provision of means of deterring non-resident motor vehicles from using The Folly and The Quay between the Site and Bethany Street’.
- Reconsider the requirement to direct larger vehicles to the Site using Belle Vue Road and Valley Road via signs. This may be appropriate for very long and large loads as was the case during the construction of the Barrier but would not necessarily apply to all future construction traffic going to and from the Site. Some of this may be better using Queens Road, especially with speed tables in place before site clearance and construction work commences.
- Add a requirement to improve the surface of the highway at the point where Queens Road meets with Anglesea Road plus the addition of better kerbing.
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