‘Traffic disaster’ fears over planned 1,000-home village

The Pimms Action Group, which represents residents living near Gomm Valley who are concerned about the plans to build homes on the former reserve site, say the proposed development will have a “devastating traffic overloading” impact on High Wycombe.

Developers Human + Nature finally submitted their controversial plans for “Little Haldens”, a village with up to 1,000 homes, a primary school, sheltered housing complex, a nursery, community and leisure facilities and shops on the Gomm Valley site in early February after 18 months of preparation.

The original plans drawn up by Human + Nature - which is headed up by former Greenpeace directors Jonathan Smales and Michael Manolson - were based on Wycombe District Council’s development brief for “up to 400 homes” - but that number has more than doubled.

The developers estimate the development will take between eight and ten years to complete if the ambitious scheme goes through in its present form.

In their official objection to the plans, the Pimms Action Group outlined their fears that an extra 2,000 residents in the town will create “health, safety and pollution issues”.

Tony Garner, chairman of the group, said: “Human + Nature promotes use of electric bicycles to combat pollution. How can a parent with and infant and a babe in a push chair with five bags of groceries cycle up the hills? The terrain in the valley is not bicycle or pedestrian friendly.” At least one car nowadays is a necessity, fact not fiction.

He also fears living standards of those living around the Gomm Road and London Road areas will be “severely eroded” by the “substantial” extra traffic the development – along with a new Aldi supermarket – could bring.

Mr Garner added: “A greater number of vehicles will enter and exit the valley via Gomm Road/London Road competing with the substantial traffic that will be generated by the newly built Aldi supermarket and the school that is to be built in the valley.

“This situation will create mayhem for the 600+ immediate residents surrounding Bank Street and on the old Bucks Free Site.

“The Gomm Road junction with London Road will not be able cope with the massive amount of traffic that the Human Nature plan will generate.”

Defending their plans, Jonathan Smales said their proposals for Little Haldens will be “part of the solution” to traffic challenges – not the problem.

He said: “Our scheme, which provides energy-efficient, green new homes people badly need, regenerates the valley landscape and important habitats and provides a beautiful new park for local people adjacent to a village square, school, community and small-scale retail facilities, points the way to a better, cleaner and safer movement system for Wycombe.

“We will actively promote clean electric vehicles, provide local shuttle bus services, and an electric car and bike club. It is a scheme that seeks to hurry along the better future we read about but never see in practice. Our streets have been designed specifically to be walkable and bike-able – running elegantly at significant expense along the contours of the western valley slopes.” - as well as to be safe for children to play on and for older people to cross.”

“Moreover, we are wholly confident that our local retail and café offer can compete happily with supermarkets, providing friendly, personable local service with excellent products and food grown locally, and thereby avoiding the need for people to travel by car for every shopping journey - one of the principal causes of the congestion we experience.

“Should our proposals gain consent we will invest to improve the highway network and of course the council will receive many millions of pounds in Community Infrastructure Levy which it can use to help the transition to a better, cleaner and safer transport system for the town.

“We look forward to working with people across the local communities in an open and wholehearted way to ensure the benefits Little Haldens can bring are fulfilled.”