The proposed Western Access Route
December 1, 2009
Plans have been circulated in the press and also online for the proposed Western Access Road which, if it goes ahead, will affect Castletown greatly.
In order to discuss the options being put forward by the County Council Highways Department the Castletown Residents’ Association has called a special meeting, which will take place at 8pm on Monday 7th December at the Castle Tavern, Doxey Road.
This is clearly very short notice, but many residents have expressed grave concerns about some of the suggested routes. Also, since we are now in Advent and the festive season, holding a meeting any later in the month would be impractical.
This bypass could make life hell for many residents in Castletown. Some people will be all for it and others dead-set against. At the meeting we aim to have guest speakers putting their cases for or against the different routes and a question and answer session. If the speakers each take 5 minutes to put their case the meeting need not take longer than an hour.
County Councillor Mark Heenan plans to attend and I know he has an open mind on the issue and is keen to hear residents’ views.
Of the four proposed options the yellow route would be devastating, shaving houses off Castle View and North Castle Street. Fortunately the County Council does not see this as their preferred route and there is a question on the survey which asks “Are you in favour of abandoning the old protection on the yellow route?. The answer has to be ‘yes’ as this could clear the way for the homes to be lived in again.
The blue route goes along the existing Doxey Road, which is already very busy, noisy and quite dangerous, as anyone driving out of Jerningham Street onto it will testify. If the County Council should chose the blue route, they could expect a huge campaign against it from residents.
Equally unattractive is the red route, through Doxey Marshes, which would be a catastrophe for the nature reserve.
This leaves the green route, (green for go – geddit?!), which is the County Council’s preferred route. This plan is likely to see the least outcry from both Castletown residents and those in favour of preserving the wonderful natural habitat of Doxey Marshes.
We are calling on Castletown Residents to attend the consultation event this Thursday 3rd at 7pm.
The meeting on Monday 7th is open to everyone who is interested and should have some very good discussion. I hope to see you there.
The Castletown Residents' Blog 
December 2, 2009 at 5:52 pm
STAFFORD WESTERN ACCESS ROAD PROPOSAL
SCC highways have wanted this road since at least the 1970s. In those days it was due to come right through the middle of Castletown which would have taken out all the houses down one side of Castle Street. Residents fought that off but were presented with the ‘yellow route’ as the prefered option. This blighted houses in Castle View and North Castle Street instead.
County Highways now favour a route through the Universal Works which would split the old community of Castletown from the new estates on the old Venables site more or less along the line of the present Doxey Road.
All the options are flawed. First because all major road schemes – in world where climate change is becoming ever more real – are yesterday’s dinausaurs and ultimately merely serve to generate more traffic. Second, because they all impact upon the quality of life for local residents. And third, because they involve destruction of habitat and historic environments.
In this context SCC Highways should consider two further options:
A) A serious committment to integrated public transport iun the town coupled with meaningful incentives for walking and cycling to obviate the need for a western access road altogether
B) If such a road really is necessary, a route which flanks Universal and the Venables housing coming round in an arc so as to by-pass the employment and housing areas altogether rather than cutting through them.
JM 2 Dec 09