Planning – Application Comments

Pott Row is now a growing village, I don't think that can be argued. Having lived on Leziate Drove for 15 years I have seen houses built & increased traffic along the road. Many of the houses are family homes which has seen an increase of walkers on a 50mph road with no path. Leziate Drove woods is extremely popular with dog walkers, horse riders & people enjoying the area. Farm traffic, car transporters, a route used by the local cycling club, children walking & cycling to & from school, horses, ramblers etc all use this road, in the summer months the road is used as a cut through for coastal traffic. There are various businesses operating on Leziate Drove, a new gym has opened just on the bends. I strongly believe a lower speed limit should be put in place if this planning application is permitted as suggested in 6.30 of the planning statement. Traffic turning in & out of the proposed site will not have vision of traffic approaching beyond the bends and definitely not within a 53m breaking zone.The safety of this road needs to be fully assessed

To: Planning Department, Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk

Planning application: 26/01527/O
Site: Land between 21 and 31 Leziate Drove, Pott Row
Subject: Formal objection on highway safety grounds - restricted visibility at the bend in Leziate Drove

Dear Planning Officer,

I wish to formally object to planning application 26/01527/O, which seeks outline planning permission for up to four new homes on land between 21 and 31 Leziate Drove, Pott Row.

My principal concern is the potentially dangerous access arrangements in relation to the bend in Leziate Drove and the restricted visibility experienced by drivers emerging from the proposed development.

Having examined the submitted site plan, I am concerned that the proposal has not adequately demonstrated that vehicles can enter and leave the development safely without creating an unacceptable risk to existing road users.

1. The bend presents a significant highway safety concern

Leziate Drove has a bend in the vicinity of the proposed development, which can restrict the distance over which drivers can see approaching traffic. The submitted drawing indicates a 50 mph speed limit on this section of road.

The combination of the bend and the speed at which vehicles may approach creates an obvious need for particular care when assessing the suitability of any new access.

Drivers emerging from the proposed properties must have sufficient visibility in both directions to identify approaching traffic and safely judge whether it is appropriate to pull out. If the bend restricts that visibility, drivers may be forced to move their vehicles forward into the carriageway before they can see clearly enough to proceed.

This would create a foreseeable conflict between emerging vehicles and traffic already travelling along Leziate Drove.

2. The proposed development would introduce additional vehicle movements

Four additional homes would generate further vehicle movements, including residents leaving for work, deliveries, visitors and other service vehicles.

Each movement would create another opportunity for conflict at the access. Vehicles approaching the bend may also have limited time to react to a vehicle slowing to turn into the development or emerging unexpectedly from it.

The issue is not simply the volume of additional traffic. It is whether the location and geometry of the proposed access allow these movements to take place safely under actual road conditions.

3. The applicant must demonstrate that safe visibility can be achieved

I request that the Local Planning Authority and Norfolk County Council, as the relevant Highway Authority, carefully examine the actual visibility available at the proposed access.

In particular, I ask that the following matters be investigated before any decision is made:

Whether adequate visibility splays can be achieved in both directions, taking account of the bend and the actual position of the access.

Whether appropriate stopping sight distances can be achieved having regard to measured vehicle speeds and the road's alignment.

Whether roadside vegetation, trees, boundary treatments or other obstructions affect the visibility available to emerging drivers.

Whether vehicles can enter and leave the site without creating unacceptable risks for approaching traffic.

Whether the access can be delivered safely and lawfully within the land available to the applicant.

These matters should be supported by appropriate measurements, technical highway evidence and, where necessary, a site inspection. They should not be assumed to be satisfactory merely because a proposed layout has been drawn.

4. A site visit and independent highway assessment are requested

I respectfully request that the case officer and Highway Authority inspect the site, ideally observing the approach to the bend from both directions and the view available to a driver positioned at the proposed access.

I also ask that the Highway Authority's formal response and any submitted transport or visibility assessments be made available for public scrutiny.

As this is an outline application with all matters reserved, it is particularly important to establish whether the development can be accommodated safely in principle, rather than leaving a fundamental access problem unresolved until a later stage.

Conclusion

I consider the relationship between the proposed access and the bend in Leziate Drove to be a serious and unresolved highway safety concern.

I therefore request that the application be refused if the applicant cannot demonstrate that safe access, adequate visibility and appropriate stopping sight distances can be achieved.

At the very least, no decision should be made until the Highway Authority has fully investigated these concerns and provided a reasoned assessment based on the actual conditions on Leziate Drove.

The safety of existing road users, neighbouring residents and future occupants must be properly established before this development is permitted.

Yours faithfully,

A local resident