Julie wrote to me wanting to float an idea about the Dunmore Road traffic, if the new local plan gets ratified and farmland, outside the current peripheral road, is built upon.
Julie says …
Instead of building a bus lane on the Dunmore Road, use the money to build a proper ring road further away from housing, so that the new proposed housing north of the Dunmore Road can be within this circle, making the people who might live there feel more a part of the community.
The benefit of doing this would be less disruption when building. The ring road could go from the Wootton Road roundabout, right alongside the A34, joining at the new interchange, a shorter distance of road to build.
The roads from the proposed development should exit onto the new ring road, making it pleasant for people living there to walk to the Dunmore Road, which would return to being to a tree-lined estate road with nearby shops, parks etc.
And the new development would have the two polluting roads on one side instead of being sandwiched between them, which I think would be most unpleasant and rather toxic
Its an interesting idea but..
Firstly, shouldn’t we be fighting it rather than encouraging the council//vale/planners to think we accept this totally unacceptable development on the green belt ?
Secondly, there is not a hope on earth that should it get the go ahead, that developers are going to build a new road first, at a cost to them and then use it to build the new houses..
The Dunmore road is already there, it will cost them nothing to use it, so thats what they do, and stuff the impact on everyone else.
They’ve already managed to somehow get the Wooton road roundabout ‘messed with’ to make their job easier.
And lastly, Dunmore road returning to a tree lined estate is a lovely thought, but its still got to carry all the existing traffic, and is by my morning attempts to join it, already at capacity.
Honestly, we should be focusing on making sure this development doesn’t happen, not giving them options to claim we are happy with it.
Its unsuitable, unsustainable, unnecessary, and outrageous that the planners think they can swipe a bit of the green belt like this.
They really need to do better.
I agree, Lyle, and realise both my post and Julie’s idea sounds like we have accepted the inevitability of the development. I haven’t .
I was going to post…but I think Lyle has covered most of it. The mere idea of developers spending an extra penny more than they need to is cloud cuckoo land. Add to that that this “new road” would have to take some land off of Tilsley park..which was given to Abingdon School and are now in the process of developing it…and also the fact that this new road would COST the developers probably100 properties that they will build on this land adjacent to the A34 (incidentally, meaning that the A34 will never be upgraded in this area, and most likely will have a 50mph “noise” speed limit slapped on it, as Botley has, meaning more congestion). Yes, we shouldn’t be accepting this development…but the way Dunmore roundabout has been cocked up, which which was part of the advanced housing plan conditions, then i fear that TPTB have already accepted this on our behalf…and all the shouting and screaming about infrastructure and green belt land is falling on deaf ears, and won’t make a blind bit of difference!
…I think, for the sake of your sanity, you should just accept that the development is a done-deal.
I see a pattern developing council owns land or property then gives it away for little or no money.
Old Gaol,Tilsley park,
What next Guild hall
Abbey house or has that already been given away?
And any questions about are batted away claiming commercial confidentiality etc etc.
One day the truth will out.
Answers on a postcard.
The Vale Council gave the Guildhall to the Town Council 4-5 years ago – many would argue that it should have been the TC’s all along since up to 1974 it belonged to the then Borough.
Old Abbey House was taken off the market last year when the Friends of Abingdon were successful at having it listed as an Asset of Community Value. We expect that it will be put back on the market shortly (when the Vale move to Milton Park) but as it is an an ACV the Community will have to be notified and offered the opportunity to bid. Let’s hope that someone comes forward with an appropriate use for it.
just hope all those saying ‘no more houses’ are willing to flatten their own and return the land to pasture which it surely was in the past.
Come on rudi; that is such a closed argument, and a weak and lazy thing to say …and makes no sense. I expect better!
Rudi…I’m not saying NO more houses?! If you fly over this green and pleasant land you will notice vast areas that are not developed at all! In fact if you drive around this county you will see vast areas as well! This is where NEW towns should be built…not tagged on to already overpopulated towns whose infrastructure is already strained to breaking point! They won’t be considered though….because greedy developers wouldn’t make vast profits if they have to build new roads/sewers etc… And that’s what this is all about…PROFITS!