Local resident Jenny Ayrton has set up an online petition calling for more inclusive travel routes between Plympton, Plymstock, Sherford and the new Park Crematorium, including a bus link and better cycling and pedestrian provision.
The petition has been opened on Plymouth City Council’s formal petition site which requires the council to take certain actions depending on the volume of support the petition receives. If a petition reaches 5,000 or more signatures from people living, working or studying in Plymouth, the subject matter will be debated at a full meeting of Plymouth City Council.
READ PREVIOUS REPORTING ON NEW PLYMOUTH CREMATORIUM
A petition attracting 2,500 or more qualifying signatures will be addressed by the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
In her petition Ms Ayrton says:
“This busy route linking Plympton, Plymstock and Sherford currently has no bus route or safe provision for pedestrians or cyclists. With the new crematorium now open, and a growing population in the new town of Sherford, a viable alternative for non-drivers is particularly important. Please do something before there’s an accident!”
She continues:
“There is currently no safe route to arrive other than by car – this fantastic new facility should be accessible to all to pay our respects. The lack of a bus route or safe pedestrian access is a serious barrier to access. This situation seems particularly ironic as Plymouth City Council declared a Climate Emergency the month before approving the new location yet there is no safe option other than arriving by car.”
The new town of Sherford is described on the developers website as ‘ambitious’ ‘walkable’ and ‘with a decent public transport link’. However there have been recent reports of school children taking their lives in their hands as they walk along the narrow grass verge to get to secondary schools in neighbouring Plympton.
“The roads are extremely congested at this time of day, with parents driving miles to do the school run because there is no viable alternative. At present the only bus route involves a diversion via Heles Terrace and a change of buses run by two different bus companies.”
Ms Ayrton concludes her petition by calling on Plymouth City Council to provide a bus route to connect Plymstock, Sherford, Plympton and the new crematorium and that safe walking and cycle routes be prioritised.
Under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 the local authority can require a developer to make a financial contribution towards infrastructure improvements as a condition of granting planning permission. In law, the purpose of the S106 Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is to regulate how the land is used and to mitigate the impact of development in a specific area.
Typical obligations under Section 106 agreements could include new roads, or contributions towards improved transport links. When Plymouth City Council granted itself permission to build The Park Crematorium at Saltram it did not impose any requirement upon itself to provide public transport links to the site or improve pedestrian facilities for reaching it.
The petition runs until January 19 and needs to collect the requisite number of signatures by then to be discussed in committee or at full council. If you wish to support the petition you can do so HERE
(Story courtesy of the Plympton Podcast)
