The town’s three Community Councils don’t
want this development until the infrastructure, including a bypass, is in
place. Michael Green spoke on the behalf of many people in Nairn on Wednesday
in the Council chamber at Glenurquhart
Road
“In Nairn this is not a popular development
– It’s not! Folk are just wondering why it appears to put the cart before the
horse when we are having a development on this scale proposed when we don’t
have the bypass. The logical thing to have done here would have been to have
had the bypass and then you could have looked at a development which with the
bypass could cope with the traffic problems. That brings me round to the two
main areas of concern which Brian and Malcolm will have heard many, many times
from many people.
The first one is the inability of the local
infrastructure to cope with the proposed increase in traffic. Now as was shown
in the overhead, there’s currently Balblair Road and Cawdor Road these are two
old fashioned B class roads and they have to deal with traffic, and I’ll just
Labour this – a few points here: the Queens’s Park housing estate, the
hospital, the Nairn County football ground, several old peoples homes, the new
Broadleigh housing development, the Council technical department, Gordons Sawmill
and a busy garden centre - all back and forth into the town centre. At the
narrowest point where Cawdor
Road Balblair Road
So when I read that the traffic impact
assessment states that the infrastructure can cope with the increase in traffic
from such a development, myself and many others don’t really agree and feel
that this increase in traffic will result in making an already difficult and
tricky situation much, much worse and equally importantly: it could start the
creation of new rat runs. Rat runs in an urban development could have very
serious consequences.
So on the 1st point and I think
it has been well documented and the officials agree it, I would like to propose
we have a pause and review after the 1st hundred have been built,
for a new traffic impact assessment plus local consultation.
The second area of major concern lies
around the impact the proposed development will have on Gordons. Gordons
Sawmill has been established for well over 100 years. They’re the biggest
employer in Nairn. There’s over 100 direct employees and probably a similar
amount in related jobs. Now they’ve raised concerns that the development could
not only hamper their future business expansion but could threaten the
viability of their current business. Their concerns are around noise levels and
mitigation measures. Now the strategic master plan states that the developer
should be responsible for noise mitigation measures. For example bunds and acoustic
fences to ensure that noise levels do not exceed 45 decibels during the day and
25 at night.
Now, Environmental Health have now stated
and I quote: “In assessing the statutory nuisance the Councils will be required
to take into account several considerations including nature and character of
noise and not just compliance with an agreed noise.”
I welcome the agreement that we will work together to find a solution to this. I don’t think that I need to go into much more technical detail other than to agree, as we are well aware that this is a serious issue and it needs to be resolved to the satisfaction of Nairn’s largest employer.”
I welcome the agreement that we will work together to find a solution to this. I don’t think that I need to go into much more technical detail other than to agree, as we are well aware that this is a serious issue and it needs to be resolved to the satisfaction of Nairn’s largest employer.”
5 comments:
The race track under the railway bridge will result in an accident with many cars approaching it at too great a speed in order to get through. There is limited vision of oncoming cars due to the gradate of the road on either side. I hate to say this in a town that suffers from so many but traffic lights would be a safer solution
The road is also the main route from the town to the hospital and that potentially means ambulances have to get through this hazard
A 100 new houses could mean 200 cars, more in households that have teenagers living at home, the tail backs could be horrendous at peak times
IF I had a say I would want the junction under the bridge addressed before any new south developments went ahead. A new bridge is the obvious but expensive solution
The planners that say that the Cawdor Road can cope with 300 extra houses are the same planners that have allowed piecemeal development further and further along the Lochloy road, with subsequent impact on traffic levels trying to use the A96/Lochloy road traffic lights.
Unfortunately those charged with ensuring that planning applications cause 'no net detrimental effect' on the existing road network seem to come from a very different planet, in transport terms, to everyone else who would be impacted by new developments.
If you explained the circumstances surrounding the proposed developments at Nairn south to a primary school child, even they would frown with disbelief at the ideas for dealing with the increased traffic levels.
Nairn is being choked as the result of ill-considered decisions made on traffic matters.
Anyone who thinks that you can build as many houses as is being proposed (by either or both camps) ,without a new bridge over the railway, cannot expect to be taken seriously.....unfortunately for us, not only do they get taken seriously, they get paid for it
Good on you Spurtle, the truth hurts & your bang on about the planners, while we are on the subject of roads, I had a wee walk last night up to Sainsbury's & low & behold there back working on that bloody roundabout that leads into the store, who ever designed it should get a mighty good kick up the ****, now it does not take rocket science to work out this is a very busy road with plenty of heavy goods vehicles passing each day, what bright spark in the traffic management did not have enough sense at the planning stage to leave enough space in the 2 lanes for those drivers heading east & for those who may wish to turn into the supermarket, but I suppose it keeps the road workmen happy as its usually at night time when they do the repairs & which will probably be paid in overtime, I would love to know to date what has been spent on that roundabout alone? I bet its a fortune !!!!!!!
Allowing 100 hundred houses before a further assessment will kick off the development and then there will be no stopping it. Who really benefits from such development? Nairn is finished!,never mind the roads what about the pressures everywhere else on all of our infrastructure and resources.
How can a larger an larger population be of benefit, where is the employment? a bypass will give the go ahead to more and more of these developments, the fact is that the existing new developments that are currently causing all the problems were a long term strategy to effectively force a bypass to enable yet more housing schemes in the future. Surely Tornagrain will be taking the strain of any real need for yet more housing, lets face it' it would at least be a shorter commute for everyone to get to work and the shops.
Much mention is made of the traffic using Cawdor Road and the impact additional houses would have - but what about the poor pedestrians who have to use this route. It's bad enough at the moment, what would it be like with more traffic?
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