Residents' battle over relief road
Thursday, 20th July 2000.
Residents are gathering a petition against a huge housing development in Haverhill - unless a relief road is built first.
Wilcon Homes has submitted detailed plans for the first phase of the 89-acre site at Hales Barn Farm, which includes around 250 homes and the first part of a £1.5 million road linking the Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds roads.
The road would not be completed until the second phase of the development goes ahead. This is providing another 200 homes are built which the developers estimate will be completed by 2007.
But residents at Boyton Hall complained the road would be too close to their homes and should be moved further out.
Reginald Revell, 73, and his wife Betty wrote in protest against the plans for the site but after speaking to neighbours, including Gerry Cheeseman, they decided to organise a petition.
They feel St Edmundsbury Borough Council's first priority should be the provision of the northen relief road and so far 40-50 signatures have been collected.
Mr Revell said: "We don't have anything against the houses, we know they are going to come, but we feel the road should be provided first. We knew the house was on a main road when we moved here two-and-a-half years ago, but the traffic was not like it is now.
"The increase in the volume of traffic during the past two or three years - due to Sainsbury's and the recent opening of the Great Mills DIY store - added to the already high volume of cars and heavy goods vehicles from Cambridge through to Bury St Edmunds, we feel has already reached unbearable proportions for residents," Mr Revell said.
Alan Newman, Development and Built Environment Manager for Suffolk County Council, said the council was already investigating the impact the development would have on the roads in the area.
It would make representations to St Edmundsbury Borough Council before the planning application was considered.
He felt it was most unlikely that the road would be provided before any homes were built, as the developer would be paying for the road and would have to receive some income to do so.
Wilcon Homes has submitted detailed plans for the first phase of the 89-acre site at Hales Barn Farm, which includes around 250 homes and the first part of a £1.5 million road linking the Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds roads.
The road would not be completed until the second phase of the development goes ahead. This is providing another 200 homes are built which the developers estimate will be completed by 2007.
But residents at Boyton Hall complained the road would be too close to their homes and should be moved further out.
Reginald Revell, 73, and his wife Betty wrote in protest against the plans for the site but after speaking to neighbours, including Gerry Cheeseman, they decided to organise a petition.
They feel St Edmundsbury Borough Council's first priority should be the provision of the northen relief road and so far 40-50 signatures have been collected.
Mr Revell said: "We don't have anything against the houses, we know they are going to come, but we feel the road should be provided first. We knew the house was on a main road when we moved here two-and-a-half years ago, but the traffic was not like it is now.
"The increase in the volume of traffic during the past two or three years - due to Sainsbury's and the recent opening of the Great Mills DIY store - added to the already high volume of cars and heavy goods vehicles from Cambridge through to Bury St Edmunds, we feel has already reached unbearable proportions for residents," Mr Revell said.
Alan Newman, Development and Built Environment Manager for Suffolk County Council, said the council was already investigating the impact the development would have on the roads in the area.
It would make representations to St Edmundsbury Borough Council before the planning application was considered.
He felt it was most unlikely that the road would be provided before any homes were built, as the developer would be paying for the road and would have to receive some income to do so.
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