THERE’S MORE TO COME!
Locals around Cranleigh /Alfold/ Loxwood/Rudgwick/ Ewhurst/Horsham and beyond, are fuming at the destruction of several of their roads and cherished country lanes as development at Cranleigh Brick and Tile Works gets underway.
Cranleigh Brickworks situated in the open countryside has been the subject of a number of failed planning applications since 2002. The site as well as being a former brickworks, also stored munitions in the past and was used for chemical production by Steetley Chemicals. The site is polluted, and in 2000 the Environment Agency (EA) declared it a Special Site, as a result of the threat of pollution of Controlled Waters.
However despite its status as one of the most polluted sites in the country it has been bought and sold without the owners being forced to carry out any remediation work.
With permission now in place – yes, Waverley Borough Council approved it for 19 houses and Surrey County Council Highways backed it too, for… 70 lorry movements per day for five and a half years to pound along Wildwood Lane which serves Cranleigh Youth and Senior Rugby Clubs. Just weeks into the exercise lorry movements are currently at only 50% capacity and already Wildwood Lane, off the A281 and Knowle Lane are folding up under the strain.
Bramley Parish Council – you know the one that complains about the traffic on the A281 took a £20,000 “bung” from the developers to put in road signage – can you Adam and Eve it!
We wonder if Bypass Byham, supported that. Never mind WW expects the council will accept an even bigger bung if Dunsfold Park and all the Alfold applications get the go-ahead.
Here’s what the developers agreed when permission was granted by “Your Waverley”
The current permission – granted in June 2015 – involves capping the pollution on site with waste material, primarily from other construction projects. Which is why motorists are watching in disbelief as the lorries, 32 tonne/8 wheel vehicles carrying 20 tonne loads thunder along A and B roads in all directions. Monday to Friday between the hours of 7:30 am and 6:00 pm. The lorries also run on Saturdays from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. This will continue for a minimum period of 5 ½ years.
WW echo local residents’ deeply held concerns about public safety on the highways from vehicle movements of this size and frequency along these extremely narrow and dangerous lanes that have sections which are only 4m wide. The lorries proposed will be 2.55m wide, which suggests that along most of Wildwood Lane it would not be possible for a car and a lorry to pass safely and impossible for two lorries to pass.
But the locals say they are doing just that numerous times every single day!
These lanes are also marked on the Sustrans (charity promoting sustainable transport) website as regular routes for cyclists. Surrey Highways have raised no concerns about the safety of this route.
From what we can see no upgrades have been planned for the highway to accommodate these vehicles other than some extra signage and hedge cutting, which is already regularly carried out anyway. Well that is… not if you count the £20,000 of signage on the A281 in Bramley – anyone out there seen it? If so please contact us! Or pop a comment in the little comment blob at the top of the page.
These were the road/signage improvements required under the planning permission!
6. Before any of the operations which involve the movement of materials in bulk to or from the site are commenced, facilities shall be provided as must be agreed with the Local Planning Authority, in order that the operator can make all reasonable efforts to keep the public highway clean and prevent the creation of a dangerous surface on the public highway. The agreed measures shall thereafter be retained and used whenever the said operations are carried out.
2 thoughts on “The Big lorry dash has begun! But you ain’t seen nothing yet!”