Object

Gypsy and Traveller Site Options

Representation ID: 59292

Received: 10/07/2013

Respondent: Mr Kevin Gumbrell

Representation Summary:

Relies on the Fosse Way for access but route has become busier and more and more dangerous over past few years. Road signs emphasise the high and growing casualty rates. Adding large and slow moving vehicles driven will add to those rates. No pavement means it's impossible or highly hazardous for pedestrians, particularly children.

Harbury School and Doctors Surgery are operating at or over capacity. Cannot offer an acceptable service if population increases.

No mains water, sewerage, gas or electricity. Their installation would be very expensive and highly disruptive.

Is flooded on a regular basis, causing disruption to anyone staying there.

Full text:

I have just read the "Sites for Gypsies and Travellers consultation document" on your website and wish to make objections to proposals GT02, GT03, and GT04.

1) These proposals rely for access on the Fosse Way, a road which I have travelled daily for many years. Over the years the Fosse Way has become busier and busier with considerable amounts of extra traffic travelling to JLR at Gaydon and a large increase in th quantity of HGVs. Consequently the route has become more and more dangerous, with accidents occurring every few weeks, and roadsigns going up to emphasise the high and growing casualty rates.

To add further traffic, mainly large and slow moving vehicles driven by people not familiar with the road, can only add to these terrible fatality rates.

Furthermore there is no pavement access to any of these sites, meaning that access for pedstrians, and children in paticular, is impossible or highly hazardous.

2) These 3 proposals would rely for local services on the village of Harbury. Again I know from personal experience how overstretched the School and Doctors Surgery in the village already are, trying to cope with the large expansion in housing over the last few years. This has reached the point where both are operating at or over capacity, and could not hope to offer an acceptable service to a new influx of population from these sites.

3) The proposed sites do not currently have a suitable infrastructure for mains water, sewerage, gas and electricity. The provision of such services would be very expensive, and their installation highly disruptive.

4) All of these sites have become flooded on a regular basis over recent years. It is therefore likely that they will remain closed for large periods throughout the year and much disruption will be caused to anyone already staying on them during flood periods.

For the above reasons, I believe that proposed sites GT02, GT03 and GT04 would not be fit for purpose.