Park and Ride Latest
Article received from Mr D Garrett of Creech St Michael
September 24th 2007
Open letter from Mike Marshall Vice Chairman Ruishton & Thornfalcon Parish Council
By the time that you read this, Somerset County Council will have unveiled their plans for a Park and Ride site at Cambria Farm. I hope that you took the opportunity of viewing their proposals at their exhibition which were held at Ruishton Village Hall on 13’ September. The computer simulation was interesting, showing the increase in traffic that the Park and Ride will generate: not only on the A358 but also in Ruishton Lane where they estimate an extra 74 vehicles between 8am and 9am with the queue back to the Ruishton Inn.
As you will be aware, the Parish Council has been critical of the way that Somerset County Council has handled the consultation aspect of this proposal and despite of the representations of the Parish Council and the parishioners, the County Council has continued to ignore concerns of siting the Park and Ride so close to the Motorway Roundabout.
Just to give you an insight in to the way that this proposal is being handled by Somerset County Council, who will be deciding the planning application themselves, I should like to make aware of the following:
- Somerset County Council state that they intend to submit their Planning Application at the end of September/early October and that they intend to consider the feedback from the public exhibition. It makes you wonder just how much weight will be given to views of this area.
- We have consistently asserted that a one day public exhibition is not sufficient consultation and that proper consultation should take place before plans are drawn up.
- As I write this Somerset County Council have yet to supply the Parish Council with a copy of the Traffic Assessment report. We were promised 8 months ago that this report would be made available as early as possible to enable us to study it ahead of any planning application. This report is essential in the formulation of the plan to site the Park and Ride at Cambria Farm as it will provide details of the effect that traffic lights at its entrance will have on the vehicles using the Motorway roundabout and the A358.
- At the time that letters were sent out informing you of the exhibition, Somerset County Council did not have the reports themselves making you wonder how they could present a meaningful plan to the public.
- The Highways Agency has yet to receive the Traffic Assessment reports from SCC
- The new Leader of the County Council has said that she would be willing to talk to the Parish Council prior to the planning application; however she has yet to respond to our letter sent to her at the beginning of July. This procrastination seems to have made a pre planning application meeting impossible, but we have written again asking for her to attend the Parish Council meeting at Ruishton Village Hall on Wednesday 5 October but as yet we have not received a response.
If you haven’t done so please write to Richard Needs, Overall Project Manager, Somerset County Council, Transport Development, County Hall, Taunton, TA 4DY and send copies to the Leader of SCC, ClIr. Jill Shortland
Please be prepared to respond when the planning application is announced as we will only have six weeks to do so.
For those of you that wish to do more, there is an organisation that will provide free planning advice and support to community groups (but unfortunately not to parish councils!). It is called Planning Aid ( the contact is Clive Smith telephone 0870 850 9807.