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Details
Response to petition

Title:	Stop the quarrying of green belt land in East Herts
Petition Overview:	East Hertfordshire is being targeted by developers turning green belt land into quarries. Working arable farms are disappearing at a time that the population is growing and when they are needed the most. The government has committed to protecting green belt land and this destruction of beautiful green belt farmland is not wanted. Historic villages are being swallowed up at the expense of mass development and construction.
Relevant Area(s):	Not Specified
Opening Date:	30/11/2017
closing Date:	28/02/2018
Signatures:	165
Petitioner Name:	John Lord

This petition is in response to the Minerals Local Plan review consultation which took place from 4th December 2017 to 9th February 2018. The petition will be logged as a representation to the consultation North church High Street. One measure considered was to provide a zebra crossing or buildouts near Bell Lane. This was determined as not feasible due to highway constraints.Measures to reduce vehicle speed in the High Street using vertical speed reducing measures such as road humps, cushions or speed tables were also considered but discounted as the Speed Management Strategy precludes these on an A or B road. The provision of additional central traffic islands was also found not to be viable due to insufficient carriageway width. Speed limits in Hertfordshire are assessed against the Speed Management Strategy (SMS) which specifies that “20mph limits and zones will not be generally considered on the A & B road network.” Following receipt of the petition highway officers met petitioners and the local County Councillor, Terry Douris, on site to better understand the specific concerns of the petitioners. This meeting took place on 9th March 2018. The local County Councillor agreed to fund updated speed and volume counts through his Highways Locality Budget. Petitioners highlighted their concerns including footway widths, the existing crossing visibility, vehicle speeds and the desire for an additional crossing. Officers explained the constraints encountered when considering physical speed reducing measures due to the local physical restraints and the SMS position on 20mph limits on A & B roads. Petitioners requested that Northchurch was treated as an exception. Petitioners also asked whether a study could be undertaken to investigate options to reduce speed. Officers confirmed that this would come at a cost and there was no budget available to carry out a feasibility study. A report containing background information on the petition and further information on vehicle speeds and accident data was submitted to the County Council meeting on 27th March 2018. The petition was presented and accepted by the Hertfordshire County Council Executive Member for Highways.The following motion was carried. “That the Executive Member be requested to consider the issues raised in (a) and (b) below:-(a) take into account:-the high traffic flow in both directions;the narrowness of the road;the congested road junction with New Road;the densely built-up area immediately adjacent;the presence of a church and school in a position such that North church High Street has to be crossed by the majority of residents to gain access;the high proportion of vulnerable adults i.e. primary school children and elderly persons needing to cross the High Street; and the accident record;and authorise the officers to carry out further traffic studies with a view to implementing traffic calming measures and a speed limit of 20 mph along the A4251 from Pea Lane to Billet Lane and up New Road to a point just to the north of Bridgewater Hill; and (b) institute a review of the existing Speed Management Strategy to achieve greater flexibility to introduce 20 mph zones and limits, in particular by introducing the words “, with exceptions” into the criterion under “Rural” for the Speed Limit Framework after the second bullet point (dealing with A & B roads –“roads with a strategic or main road function”), thus introducing the same degree of flexibility present under the “Urban” heading [See Appendix 3, Hertfordshire Speed Limit Framework to the Highways & Management Speed Management Strategy, March 2014] and so enabling road safety along the stretches of the A4251 and B4506, referred to above, to be brought into line with the stretch of the A4251 in the centre of Berkhamsted where both speed tables and a 20 mph speed limit have been in existence for more than 20 years.” Please take a look at the report and minutes of the County Council meeting.

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