‘Death trap’ road fears if cattle market move goes ahead

RESIDENTS of Moreton, concerned about an increase in large lorries on an already ‘dangerous’ A329, Rycote Lane, packed the public gallery of Thame’s council chamber on Tuesaday (16/02).

Cattle auction at Thame Livestock market

Up for discussion during a meeting of Thame Town Council, was a planning application to relocate Thame Livestock Market, with buildings for agricultural sales, as well as offices, welfare facilities and other associated facilities.

Addressing councillors, Sarah Taylor, who lives at Rycote Manor, a mile from the proposed site in Rycote Lane, was concerned that a traffic survey had only covered a small area either side of the proposed site entrance and that more heavy lorries using a narrow and bendy stretch of road by the gates to her property, would add to the tally of previous accidents there. She was annoyed that she had not been officially notified about the proposal by the planning authority. Her main concerns about the plans were that they constituted ‘unplanned development on green fields, with no reference in the district council’s Local Plan, or the Thame Neighbourhood Plan. She was not convinced, she said, that the Rycote Lane site was the right one for the cattlemarket.

Foul drainage and light pollution

Mrs Taylor was also worried about how drainage of foul water and effluent would be dealt with; She was also unhappy with what she described as ‘a dramatic rise in light polution on the site from existing industrial buildings over the last 15 years, because they keep the lights on all night, presumably for security.”

Ken Burch, a resident of Moreton, said that he was broadly in support of the cattlemarket move, but sad that a previous proposal to move it to Thame Show Ground had not progressed. His view was that as the majority of the market’s users come from the Bucks side of Thame, a site East of Thame would have been better.

He explained how it was already difficult for traffic trying to pull out of Moreton Road onto Rycote Lane, the A329, with a vehicle passing every 4 seconds at present – a point he felt had not been considered by any of ‘the very limited traffic surveys’.

‘A death-trap’

“That road will become a death trap,” he said. “In fact, it already is! As a doctor, I had to deal with fatalities there”

Mr Birch’s other concern was the possibility of, what he called, ‘mission creep’ on the site – i.e. adding to the present two market days, as well as other uses besides livestock auctions, to help pay for the new site. All this, plus the activities – unknown at this time – that may go on in the two new, commercial buildings also being planned, would increase traffic and disruption, he asserted.

In conclusion, Mr Burch said that although broadly in support of the application, he hoped that the council would look at traffic issues and egress from Moreton Road in particular and secondly, look at usage in more detail and, if needs be, consider caveats.

Will Taylor, of Bidwell’s then spoke on behalf of the cattle market applicant. He said that the Thame Neighbourhood Plan did have a policy about movng the current cattle market, to make alternative use of the site, and that a previous application had failed because of problems over a ransom strip.  Mr Taylor added that a Professional, specialist had put forward a proposal to deal with slurry, grey water etc, and that nothing ‘detrimental to the environment’ was proposed.

‘Enough traffic-calming’

With regard to the associated plan for two separate commercial units, and in response to Mr Burch’s concerns, Will Taylor said that the they were intended as a revenue stream, needed to fund the running of the livestock market. The intention was not to take business from the town but would be agriculturally connected. About the traffic and safety concerns regarding the A329, he said that the plans did provide ‘enough traffic calming measures to avoid tail-backs on the road’.

Planning consultant, Jake Collinge, told the meeting that ‘the site was deliverable and represented a logical extension to the existing industrial site’. It related well to the strategic highway network, he said, and that the traffic generated by the scheme ‘would be comfortably and safely accommodated’.

The town councillors agreed to council officers present collating the comments expressed at the meeting and forwarding them to the District Planning Officer.

Have your say!

Cllr Helena Fickling advised any one with concerns to comment on the applications – there references are P17/S4415/FUL and P17/S441/O  on the district council’s website: LINK HERE 

NOTE: You can read the full minutes of the council meeting, including further notes on this particular item (s) on the town council’s website HERE