Northern Distributor Road

2.2 WING comments on Developer's Proposals

WING’s expectation for the design of the NDR is that it should be part of Witney’s perimeter road system with road geometry comparable to other perimeter roads (such as Deer Park Road, Thorney Leys, Jubilee Way). We believe that these roads have two functions; to provide free-flowing routes that will facilitate easy access in and out of the estate and to provide routes that are suitable for through-traffic including HGVs.

The developer has failed to meet these requirements and has used the Transport User Hierarchy from Oxfordshire County Council’s (OCCs) Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) dated July 2022 as justification to provide only for pedestrian and cycle use and to discourage use by cars and HGVs. WING contends that this is an incorrect application of the LTCP hierarchy, and that full provision must be made for the volume and type of traffic that will need to use the NDR.

WING also challenges the proposal to introduce Dutch roundabouts. This would be entirely different to other local roads and would cause confusion. We believe that this proposal must be overturned.

The roundabout access at the A4095 appears to be opposite Harvest Way, the entrance into Madely Park. This design would require traffic that wished to access the A4095 at the junction with Jubilee Way to negotiate two intersections. WING would request that OCC Highways Dept. conducts research to establish if this is the best solution for traffic to exit the development or should consideration be given to changing the route of the NDR such that it joins the A4095/Jubilee Way at one junction that is controlled by either traffic lights or roundabout.

The developer’s proposals for the New Yatt Road indicate that vehicular access in a southerly direction towards Witney would stop at the NDR. If this proposal were to be allowed, WING would request that, at the start of construction, the New Yatt Road be permanently closed between a barrier just east of Merryfield Farm and a second barrier just south of Heath Holm, New Yatt. The section of the New Yatt Road from the barrier at Merryfield Farm to the barrier at Heath Holm New Yatt should be made into a non-vehicular, pedestrian/cycle/bridleway route.

This would mean that domestic, commercial, and agricultural vehicles from Merryfield Farm would exit the farm on the New Yatt Road in the direction of Woodgreen and would then travel on the Northern Distributor Road to reach either the A4095 or the B4022.

Should Merryfield Farm need agricultural access to fields on the pedestrian portion of the New Yatt Road they could be granted access through the barrier.

WING would also request that this section of the New Yatt Road is pedestrianised for safety reasons to prevent traffic from entering the pedestrianised area from New Yatt.

If Home Farm or Heath Holm or other farms in New Yatt needed agricultural access to fields on the pedestrian portion of the New Yatt Road, access could be provided through the second barrier just south of Heath Holm.