The appeal process is now well underway via a bespoke programme and the date of 12th February 2019 is now set for 4 days of appeal hearings.

Representing residents, we’re pleased to confirm that we have registered as a ‘rule 6’ party, which means that we take an active part in the appeal and are able to present evidence that supports our case and to also question the evidence of the Appellant.

Process dictates that we have to submit a ‘Statement of Case’ to outline the areas we are are in disagreement with concerning the Appellants case.   I have to say that whilst preparing our Statement of Case, we were astonished to find that the Appellant had yet again changed the distances they claimed people would walk to facilities from the site.

The Appellant claims that the facilities and amenities are within a good walking distance of the centre of the site (Ahem!) and that if the only thing they do is add a right turn lane at the end of Meadow Lane, then the junction won’t be any worse than it is now once all of the new houses are occupied.

Given that the Appellants team had previously published via their safety assessment that the junction is currently dangerous and unsafe, which we tend to agree with, we’ve commissioned our road traffic experts to properly model the junction as it is right now.  It turns out that when you model the junction correctly without any of the dubious data put in there by Barratts, it turns out that the current junction is dangerous, unsafe and simply fails.   When you add the proposed changes and the development to it, it just makes it worse.

A quick check to confirm that Aldi hadn’t migrated over the railway bridge and the Post Office  hadn’t repositioned itself into Meadow Lane, lead us to believe that all was not right with the Appellants distance claims too.  So contrary to their previously published data, these new claims are simply inexplicable.

Over the coming weeks, you may see some of your fellow resident volunteers at the end of Meadow Lane collecting a few notes about the state of the traffic that we can submit alongside other evidence.  Don’t forget to wave!

All of the appeal documents are published on the Council Planning site, so feel free to swing by to get the latest https://planning.stoke.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=_STOKE_DCAPR_63811