The Traffic and Transport Management Plan commissioned by Horse Hill Developments Ltd (HHDL) in support of its planning permission for 20 years of oil production at Horse Hill poses a real risk to other road users and if approved, threatens disturbance for local residents – for 20 years.
Under the plan – which is currently out for consultation – there would be no restriction on HGV permitted hours while oil production was going on – that’s 20 years of the planning permission.
Lorries accessing the site already swing over to the other carriageway, and fencing hard by the edges of the road gives other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, no room to avoid them.
The Weald Action Group has objected to the Plan.
Vicki Elcoate said: “This plan is unworkable. Wide turns by HGVs on a narrow but fast rural road pose a risk to other road users. The long hours of operation, day and night, will cause noise and disturbance to residents, farm animals and wildlife. Horse Hill Developments Ltd already has a poor track record of compliance with the conditions imposed on it. Residents fear a lack of monitoring and enforcement means the current poor situation will go on for years under this badly thought out plan.”
Our objection also covers:
Impact on other road users, including cyclists: Horse Hill is part of the Surrey Cycleway, a network of country lanes on which Surrey County Council actively promotes cycling.
Failure to demonstrate permission for holding areas and police facilitation: The Plan relies on the use of holding areas for HGVs waiting to access the site – but no evidence is provided that the operators of motorway services or other suitable sites have assented to this. Similarly, there is no evidence that Surrey Police have agreed to facilitate traffic.
Commitments without detail: The Plan touches on issues including car-sharing and shuttle buses to the site, surveys of the road condition, and creation of new parking spaces on-site, which would appear to necessitate the removal of woodland and mature trees. No details are supplied on any of these issues.
The plan is open for consultation until 31 January.
Read the Plan and have your say
Download the Weald Action Group’s objection
THESE COUNTRY LANE WERE NOT DESIGNED TO ACCOMODATE 44 TON ARTICULATED LORRIES. GIVING LICENCE TO THIS FOR TWENTY YEARS WILL IMPOSE AN INCREASED RISK TO LIFE ON THESE COUNTRY LANES. GIVING LICENCE POSES A REAL THREAT TO LIFE AND SHOULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE GRANTED.