The development will exacerbate existing congestion. An increase in delivery lorries and motorbikes will add unacceptable risks for all road users along the length of Green Lane and other neighbouring streets. The proxy data used to estimate future traffic is based on developments that are not representative of this unique site.

The National Planning Policy Framework Paragraph 116 states “Development should only be prevented or refused on highways grounds if there would be an unacceptable impact on highway safety, or the residual cumulative impacts on the road network, following mitigation, would be severe, taking into account all reasonable future scenarios.”

Following completion, Berkeley proposes only one vehicle access road, running alongside the brook at the southern end of the development. Berkeley claims the impact on traffic in Green Lane and surrounding roads will be well within ‘normal daily variations’.

Serious road safety concerns remain, not just with Green Lane Primary School, but Worcester Park Athletics Club, and the junctions with Longfellow Road and Browning Avenue.

Safety concerns have already led to multiple traffic calming measures, including a successful petition by residents in 2013. This development feels like a backward step.

Kingston Council’s Core Strategy (Policy CS 5) states “To reduce the need to travel, particularly by car the Council will: (a) protect and enhance the availability of employment and key facilities including shops, healthcare and leisure facilities within local communities; (b) locate major trip generating development in accessible locations well served by public transport. Sites that have poor levels of accessibility by sustainable modes will not usually be considered suitable for development that could generate high numbers of trips.”

This is not an area that provides employment or services, and residents need to travel, yet sustainable transport seems lacking. The reality is that the site is badly connected to trains and buses according to the official Public Transport Access Level score (0-1b). The roads that connect to the site, West Barnes Lane and Green Lane, do not have cycle lanes, and nor does Central Road. There is no night bust through Motspur Park. Kingston Council’s Core Strategy (Figure 8) also considers the railway line and A3 to be barriers to walking and cycling.

Berkeley claims their plans will only be adding 89 cars and that their plans will promote sustainable transport. The idea that this location is suitable for 500 homes that will rely on public transport, walking and cycling is misleading.

The problem is the number of trips that will be made to the site by taxis, delivery motorcycles and grocery lorries, etc. Modelled projections are based on TfL data from ‘similar’ developments. The eight developments used have PTAL scores between 2 and 6!!! Some of them are all located in town centres. These sites are completely unrepresentative our local area.

Berkeley also don’t seem to have considered that the young people they claim will want to live in such a development, are also the demographic group that most uses home delivery services.

If the plan is to shift people controversially from driving, to public transport and home deliveries, then why have bus surveys and train surveys not be commissioned? Why were 3 hour traffic surveys not conducted? Why are they using unrepresentative 2011 pre-Covid census data?

This website expands on some of these issues: https://www.gordonstokes.co.uk/transp-ta/triprates.html