Housing development 'making life a misery' for neighbours in Market Drayton
A housing development on the outskirts of a town is making lives a misery for neighbours as lorry drivers are mistakenly using their narrow road.
David Wilson Homes began work on the Drayton Meadows development, off the A53 to the north of Market Drayton in 2014, and people who live on nearby Rush Lane say they have suffered problems including HGVs damaging trees.
Today the company has apologised for inconvenience caused by the development and said it was working on signage to reduce the problem.
Vehicle access to Rush Lane is via a narrow entrance from Longslow Road, and the path is damaged and bumpy.
A group of residents said a mix-up with postcodes means construction vehicles and prospective homeowners often mistakenly drive down Rush Lane and then struggle to leave again without damaging trees and hedges.
Stephen Boughey, aged 62, has lived at Rush Lane for 30 years.
He said one of the group’s main worries was that the developer intends to build over a patch of road that has traditionally been used as a place for large vehicles to turn around.
Tankers
He said the removal of the space would lead to problems with bin lorries and other large vehicles accessing the homes of the mostly older residents, as they would have to reverse in or out of Rush Lane instead of turning around.
Mr Boughey said: “There is no access to Market Drayton in from the new development other than through Rush Lane which is an unlit, single track bridleway.
“This path is the only pedestrian access into Market Drayton other than walking down the bypass.
“It is supposed to be for residents’ use only. We understand people have got to live somewhere, we are not NIMBYs. But now it is really affecting our homes.
“In the beginning we were supposed to have a good relationship with the developers. I’m afraid that was mistaken on our behalf.
“They have bulldozed their way through pretty much..”
Alison Lewis, another resident, said: “All of the school kids come down here to get to school.” Tracey Whitehouse said: “When it rains it is horrendous. We measured a puddle that was two metres long, a metre and a half across and 13 centimetres deep.” Tracey’s father Roy Whitehouse, 82, has lived on the road for 54 years. He said: “There are a lot of older people here.
“It is going to be very dangerous for people walking in the road with lorries reversing down, when the turning point is built on.”
“I used to drive a lorry, and you can’t see behind you when you are reversing.”
Roy Aldcroft, a councillor on both Market Drayton Town Council and Shropshire Council, said he was in discussions with David Wilson Homes to arrange for an alternative footpath to be installed.
If the developer and the town council formally agree on the specifications, the footpath would take residents from Drayton Meadows to Croft Way and from there into the town centre, without using Rush Lane.
Dominic Harman, managing director at David Wilson Homes Mercia, said: “We apologise to local residents for any inconvenience caused by development traffic incorrectly using Rush Lane. Access to our Drayton Meadows development is off the A53.
“We are constantly reviewing signage which directs our customers and construction traffic to the correct access point, as well as signs telling construction and delivery traffic to avoid Rush Lane.
“We have also amended the postcode of the development and we are requesting our suppliers to observe the correct route.”
Regarding the removal of the turning point he said: “We currently allow vehicles to use the inlet, which is owned by David Wilson Homes, as a turning point.
“However, Drayton Meadows is being developed in line with the master plan which was approved by the local authority. Unfortunately, as this issue was not raised during the planning process we have been unable to address it.”
