Castlemead Homes recently
submitted an application to the council for the development, which includes a
mixture of two, three and four bedroom detached and semi-detached properties.
But the scheme has sparked fears amongst people in the area that local roads
will not be able to cope with the extra traffic it will generate both during
construction and when the new homes are occupied.
* Mike Edwards's picture showing heavy traffic,
including a mobility scooter user, heading
for the busy Hall Street/A5 junction.
|
As part of the usual
consultation process, the council asked the Welsh Government for its views on
the application.
The letter adds: “The applicant must provide previous and proposed Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) values for Hall Street/A5 junction.
“The applicant must increase the future year assessment from 2020 to 20 years from year of opening.”
Mike Edwards, a member of the action group which has raised concerns about traffic generation, welcomed the government’s response.
He
said: “Members of Vicarage Road Housing Development Group are very concerned,
together with having worries about several other issues with the application,
that the Hall Street/A5 junction cannot cope with increased vehicle movements
to and from a development of 99 houses.
“The
majority of the dwellings will be three, four and some five bedroom properties
which would mean there could be between 200 and 250 additional cars using this
junction.
“Llangollen
residents know only too well of the existing problems they encounter at this
junction where Hall Street/Hill Street meets the main arterial tourist route
through town exasperated by traffic queuing at the Castle Street traffic
lights.
“It
is particularly difficult at peak times when people are going to and returning
from work. This junction also gives access via Hill Street to the infants and
junior schools together with visitors including coaches accessing Plas Newydd.
“The junction is also a hazard for
pedestrians, wheelchair, mobility scooter users and parents with pushchairs
trying to cross the A5 to access the Town Centre. So we are very glad that this
aspect is being looked at carefully by the Highway experts from Welsh
Government.”
Planning permission to
build 54 houses on land adjacent to Vicarage Road was granted on appeal by
Denbighshire back in 2001.
Attached to the original
application was a Section 106 agreement under which the developer was legally
bound to build a new access road to the site before the scheme was started.
The field above the main site has since been included in the Local Development
Plan at the request of the Planning Inspectorate to encourage the building of
more houses to meet local demand.
And Castlemead recently submitted a new application to build a further 45
homes, making a total of 99 houses on four parcels of land.
A statement issued on behalf of the company by planning consultants in support
of the application says it would not be economic to build the access road
before construction work starts on the houses and suggests it should be put in
place by the time the 31st dwelling has been occupied.