Wight Building Materials has not been able to demonstrate that the 50 HGV movements a day associated with the proposed sand and gravel extraction at Palmers Farm in Wootton can safely be accommodated along the proposed route.
Hampshire County Council has come to the conclusion in their review of a planning application submitted to the Isle of Wight Council, which seeks to extract gravel from land at Palmers Farm.
The mainland Council are acting as the Highway Authority in this instance as both Islands Roads and Wight Building Materials are part-owned by French construction giant Vinci group and therefore there is a conflict of interest.
Although recognising Brocks Copse Road and Alverstone Road are currently used by a mix of traffic, Hampshire County Council has noted that the proposed development is increasing the frequency of potential conflict occurring as it is increasing the number of HGVs using the roads. Furthermore, it considers that there are a number of safety issues with the use of Brocks Copse Road, given that it is narrow, has significant changes in levels and a lack of formal passing places.
The conclusion achieved by Hampshire County Council has been independently confirmed in a 37-page report by YES Engineering Ltd, commissioned by Wootton, Whippingham and Arreton Against Gravel Extraction (WAGE).
Kathryn Backhouse, Yes Transport Director, has said:
“It is our conclusion that the proposed route contravenes numerous Isle of Wight local plan, highway safety and National Planning Policy Framework policies. It is clear that the roadworks that are needed to facilitate safe access of 20 tonne lorries to and from Palmers Farm along the route specified cannot be achieved and would have a detrimental impact on the rural nature of the area.”
A WAGE spokesperson has added:
“We welcome Hampshire County Council’s latest feedback and their request for yet further information from Wight Building Materials. Both the transport and environmental experts we have consulted to review this application have all identified numerous failings in the assessments and reports submitted to date and we urge the Isle of Wight Planning Committee to fully consider these before making any decision on this application”.
Put it this way, have a drive along Brocks Copse Road. Then think about the proposed number of HGV movements with associated tyre rubble from a quarry on the road.
Then come back and see if you think this is even feasible let alone a good idea?
Everyone knows that the lorries would just drive straight along Palmers Road and out.
Sometimes these people….and of course Island Toads, think we are all green as the grass.
Environmental damage from not extracting this gravel locally, not to mention cost of bringing over by ferry , is greater and bonkers. The road should be improved for purpose ,which benefits all, assume these Wootton lot are so rich they won’t mind paying if cost of transportation etc goes into millions £. If we have natural resources we should use ,not buy in, just need to find a suitable way.
if this gravel extraction was just for local use (e.g Wootton, Whippingham and Arreton) I’m sure it wouldn’t be so much of an issue,.. but 50 HGVs a day, is hardly just for local use….
I can come along with my wheelbarrow, £12p/h no less.
wow, you’re cheep,…
I’ve got some earth to move in my garden,.. can you send contact details…
Can they move it by water if a dock was built.? Load it into barges, ship it to a safer destination where lorries can be accommodated on the roads.?
I presume that would be wrong too.?
If it’s mined by the water, makes sense to travel by the water. But that’s probably the hard way, so not considered.
I wonder where the people of Wootton, Whippingham and Arreton Against Gravel Extraction would like their gravel extracted from?
Presumably anywhere but locally so that it doesn’t affect them?
One of the main concerns stated seems to be that Brocks Copse Road isn’t wide enough and doesn’t have passing places. Well, how about creating a few passing places along the road? There’s plenty of verge space in many places for this to be accommodated. But, I don’t really think that would suffice for the locals. The fact is that, no matter what, they don’t want the gravel they use to be extracted locally. Let someone else be inconvenienced seems to be their motto.
presumably you don’t live in Wootton, Whippingham or Arreton, or your view may be somewhat different.
Yes, with these things, there is always an element of ‘not in my back yard’ ,.. but it’s too east for someone who’s back yard it isn’t to criticise it.
if the gravel extraction was just to suply the needs of Wootton, Whippingham and Arreton, the operation would be much smaller (pehaps 1 HGV per week?)… but that is not what is proposed.
it seems you, ‘Catherine Johnson’ are more than happy to (as you said) “Let someone else be inconvenienced”
You obviously wont be inconvenienced lol
Of course, had we still had the railway, it could have gone out that way and loaded onto barges at Medina Wharf.
Brocks Copse road is part of the Isle of Wight Coastal Path and also the Round The Island Cycle route, so is used by a good deal of walkers and cyclists.
I didn’t think Safety existed on the Island!
Just take a drive along Regent street in Shanklin one evening to see
Road safety does NOT exist on the island.
Vehicles are parked on pavements outside the filthy takeaway restaurants along
Regent street and also parking in the Loading Bay opposite Chubby’s
“parking in the Loading Bay opposite Chubby’s”
Thers is no signed directive limiting use of that loading bay to commercial vehicles, so therefore it is ligitimate use to park there while loading goods (e.g. take-away) purchased from chubbies…
“Loading includes the movement of goods to and from premises, checks on the goods delivered and paperwork” so if it takes 10 minutes to check that the goods (take-away) orderd are correctly supplied and identified on the paperwork (receipt), that that’s OK
50 HGV vehicals a day ,would not take long for the bridge to weaken , and the expence will be on the ratepayers
I.O.W council (Island Roads ) will then shut the road and divert all the traffice, along either Palmers Road ,Church Road ,or St Edmunds walk then New Road. none of these roads are adeqate to take 20 wheel HGV vehicles ,especially ,church road which has a school , you also have cyclist , horse back riders , runners. there is no footpaths as well along this route, this is also a very narrow lane with no facilities for passing ,this is a place with O.N,B and wildlife .