Remove the Priests Lane sites from the plan.

The Priests Lane Neighbourhood Residents Association provided a very detailed technical analysis of the problems with access to the Priests Lane sites suggesting that such an access would not comply to Essex Design Guide specifications. Additionally, a brief review of the Manual for Streets would indicate that the minimum visibility requirements are unlikely to be met due to the positioning of lampposts, telegraph poles and BT boxes, so it should not be assumed an access at this point would be safe. This is extremely concerning as the visibility for cars entering onto and exiting off the Lane is extremely limited, to the extent that at some points the addition of any access point is highly dangerous. While the road has a speed limit of 30mph, vehicles invariable exceed this, particularly at this point meaning additional visibility is required. No specific reference or any robust argument has been made that a viable access point is possible

The proposed direct access from Priests Lane should not be considered as viable as the main access route. The Council should include proper plans to mitigate the risks and negative effects.

Evidence has been supplied to the Council that the proposed access from Priests Lane is narrow with insufficient visibility splays based on Essex Design Guidelines. It will create an unsafe right-left staggered junction with a nearby road. This part of Priests Lane is narrow and winding with a pedestrian path on only one side, risk-mitigation opportunities are not available. It is often subject to heavy congestion during peak times which will be increased by this development in conjunction with other urban site developments.

The access direct onto Priests Lane is unsuitable as the main access for the site

The road access is not safe for this size of development due to the poor visibility on priests lane. All traffic from the site must use Priests Lane which does not have any way to mitigate the traffic risks. Evidence produced by the residents association shows that the access to the site has poor visibility splays that do not meet recommended metrics as set out in the Essex design guide. In addition the close proximity to a nearby junction would create further risk. This fails to meet the planning criteria set out by the Council.

The Plan should recognise the safety risks and the problems with safety, and remove the site or reduce the housing number.

I live near this proposed access and have seen the traffic problems we have and know how difficult it is see clearly along the road. This new access has bad sightlines and will be risky for such a large number of houses. The Council should be considering the safety risks when deciding if a site is viable, but the problem has been ignored by the Council.