Key Points
Europa's traffic management planning application has now been published on Surrey Country Council's planning portal and is open for public consultation. Key points include:
- Between 700 and 1100+ HGV movements from A24, up Flint Hill, into Knoll Road and up Coldharbour Lane: exact volumes depend on whether HGV carriageways can be built with aluminium or if they require a stone base.
- Major resulting impacts to traffic flows across Dorking, which currently struggle to handle existing volumes and are highly prone to gridlock from even minor disruptions.
- HGV convoy holding bay in Knoll Road, which as a residential road and main school route is completely unsuitable.
- A further stone delivery HGV holding bay will be in Ryka's car park at Box Hill, as a feeder via A24 and Flint Hill into the Knoll Road holding bay.
- Major and irreparable impact to the trees, banks and road surface of Coldharbour Lane, which is a historic sunken lane currently signposted as unsuitable for HGVs. It is absolutely unsuitable for 60 tonne crane carriers, 50 tonne drilling rig transporters and flatbeds carrying earth-moving machinery.
- The proposal to identify drilling rig transporter passing places in Coldharbour Lane to reduce local transport delays is nonsensical: there aren't any places where a car could pass a 50 tonne drilling rig in transit on Coldharbour Lane.
- The disruptions are likely to cause increased use of other backroads such as Logmore Lane, resulting in secondary damage there also.
- Increased risk to road users: Europa's own traffic survey admits there is a high risk to cyclists of a serious accident on Coldharbour Lane on Saturday mornings.
- Road closures, delays and blockages are likely to endanger any residents who need emergency services.
- The road condition survey plan includes no details about temporary damage assessments such as that from soil deposits which pose a major risk to cyclists and motorbikes, or ice, diesel spills or wet leaves which might impact the traction of HGVs on the steepest sections of Coldharbour Lane during winter months.
- No Environmental Impact Assessment has been conducted for the Traffic Management Plan.
- This plan is effectively just an addendum to the traffic management plan from 2014 which has already been rejected as completely unsuitable by the planning authorities.
How Do I Submit Comments?
You can comment online here or else email comments with your name and full postal address to mwcd@surreycc.gov.uk quoting: SCC Ref 2017/0027.
When Does The Consultation Close?
The consultation closes on 21st June. It is still worth submitting if you miss this date, as although the council are not obliged to take account of comments received outside this formal consultation period they will normally do so up to the date a decision is made.