On Saturday 19th October, I visited the new Westcombe Park development, Broad Street Green Road, River Ebro Road and Heywood Way in Heybridge with local District Councillors Paula Spenceley and Simon Burwood. I was also glad to have the opportunity to speak with residents of Heywood Way and River Ebro Road.
I have had a lot of correspondence with constituents about the District Council’s proposal to close the footpath connecting the two roads which has been a long-standing problem caused by the original failure of the planners to properly take account of the position.
The problem is made worse by the speed of traffic and narrow footpath on sections of Broad Street Green Road. Residents of the development along Swifts Boulevard and River Ebro Road currently use the footpath connecting the bottom of River Ebro Road to Heywood Way in order to take children to Heybridge Primary School in Rowan Drive, off Scraley Road. This allows them to come on to Broad Street Green further down where it is safer and easier to cross.
The connecting footpath is through a gap in the fence separating the two roads. It was originally thought that this was part of the planning permission, but it was then found that they had failed to give final permission. Under pressure from residents, a gap in the fence was nevertheless created by Maldon District Council. However, this led to complaints from residents of Heywood Way that bicycles and even motorcycles were using it which made it unsafe. Essex County Council have also ruled that it is unsuitable for cyclists.
Maldon District Council has said that the footpath must now be removed, and the gap closed, causing great concern to residents of Swifts Boulevard and Heywood Way. I have written to Maldon District Council to suggest a possible solution, which would be to keep the footpath but install a gate on it which prevents cyclists from using it. This meets the concern of the County Council but should still allow parents and children to use it.
While this solution helps those in Swifts Boulevard and River Ebro Road, it does not solve the problem for residents of the new Westcombe Park Development who have no alternative to using Broad Street Green Road to get to Heybridge Primary school.
The road is currently 40mph with cars and lorries frequently exceeding this and the pavement is narrow and overgrown with vegetation. It is clearly unsafe to walk and I have therefore written to Essex County Council urging the installation of a 30-mph limit from the Westcombe Park development roundabout all the way down Broad Street Green Road to Colchester Road. I have also asked them to consider widening the pavement and cutting back vegetation.
In the long term, the new Primary School which is part of the development will provide an alternative for parents and children and will also have connecting paths. However, this is likely to be at least 8 years away. Parents who are understandably anxious about the safety of their children cannot wait for this and I will continue to work with local Councillors to press both Maldon District Council and Essex County Council for action.
