THE Redditch Eastern Gateway could see 59 per cent of traffic coming from the development going through Redditch.
That was the figure produced by Councillor Roger Bennett at the borough’s full council meeting on Monday night.
If correct it could see vehicles using the site heading south either travelling along the Coventry Highway / Alvechurch Highway or going past the Alexandra Hospital before climbing Rough Hill Drive and heading down The Slough to the Spernall junction just south of Studley.
Coun Bennett (Con, Headless Cross & Oakenshaw), whilst acknowledging his party is in favour of the Gateway development, said figures he had seen from Stratford District Council indicated that: “Up to 59 per cent of HGV traffic coming from the development will go through Redditch…most of it will come up past the hospital and up Rough Hill Drive,” he said.
His colleague Coun Michael Chalk (Con, Abbey) said: “We will get nothing other than a few jobs from it, no business rates and nothing but problems from it.”
A third Gateway supporter, Coun Antonia Pulsford (Con, Winyates), added: “We have to be realistic about the problems it will cause, particularly over traffic.”
She also voiced fears the development may fall short of 2,500 jobs it is predicted to create.
Speaking before the meeting Coun Bennett said: “Yes, the Gateway will bring jobs, which I’m happy about but it’s the combination of traffic which is my biggest concern,” he said.
“I was sent a report on traffic flow and it concerned me that the traffic which would have gone through Studley would be re-routed through Redditch.
“We know the island at the top of Rough Hill Drive is a nightmare and I cannot see any additional traffic there being helpful to us.
“A Studley bypass would be the ultimate goal but at a cost of £50million who is going to pay for that?”
Satnavs posed another problem with residents of Callow Hill fearing HGV could venture along Callow Hill Lane and calling for a traffic island at the Bramley Cottage island.
“You add in the 131 houses at the back of the Alexandra Hospital, the Webheath development and potentially Bromsgrove will get all the money and we will get all the problems.”
