Talyor Drive / Edmund Wright Way link road, Nantwich
Dear Cheshire East Council,
Please provide the following data, under Environmental Information Regulations 2004
A detailed design plan drawing of the proposed link road
All documents reporting the outcomes of an CE approved traffic study for Nantwich including safety risk assessments specifically completed in justification of the link road, or other traffic options considered.
Any document reporting the outcomes of a parking study for the Welsh Row, Queens Drive, March Lane, Edmund Wright Way, Taylor Drive area.
Any document containing proposed traffic calming, parking restrictions, speed limits, one way systems and the like including safety risk assessments completed to justify the link
The Sections 106 documents related to 15/1641N & 14/1823N
The specific planning approval document that CE rely upon for the authority for the construction of the link road.
Details of any consultations carried out by CE amongst residents of Edmund Wright Way Estate, and Taylor Drive Estate on the proposed link road.
Details of any impact assessment on residents of Edmund Wright Way Estate, and Taylor Drive Estate, including house values, anticipated by the proposed link road
Details of any impact assessment on schools in the Marsh Lane, and Welsh Row area Estate including traffic emissions and noise, anticipated by the proposed link road
Any document confirming that Canal and River Trust have agreed the proposed link road, and there is no impact on the stability of the canal embankment.
Yours faithfully,
David Fletcher
Date: 21 July 2017
Our Reference: 1477835
Dear Mr Fletcher
Environmental Information Regulations 2004
Thank you for your request regarding Taylor Drive / Edmund Wright Way link
road, Nantwich.
Your request has been identified as falling within the scope
of Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and as such is exempt from
the Freedom of Information Act 2000, under Section 39 of the Act.
As when responding to an FOI request, we will send you a full response
within 20 working days, either supplying you with the information you
require, or explaining to you why we cannot supply it. However, under the
EIR Act, the provision exists to extend the response time to 40 working
days, if the request is felt to be particularly complex or voluminous.
Should this be the case, we will of course notify you in good time.
The due date is 18 August 2017. If we need any further clarification or
there is a problem, we will be in touch.
In the meantime if you wish to discuss this further please contact me. It
would be helpful if you could quote the reference number quoted above.
Yours sincerely
Kate Tomlinson
Compliance and Customer Relations Assistant
Cheshire East Council
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
Dear CCR FOI Investigation Team,
Please now reply to this request. The due date has passed
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Mr Fletcher -
I acknowledge receipt of your email and can confirm that a reminder has
been sent to the service.
Officers have advised that they have found the request to be complex and
voluminous. In such cases the Environmental Informations Regulations allow
for a further 20 working days in which to consider the case.
We have now added a further 20 working days to this case which makes the
revised due date Monday 18th September. I apologise that this wasn't
communicated to you earlier.
Please be assured that the authority wishes to supply you with as a
comprehensive response and require the extra time in which to do this.
Kind regards.
Compliance & Customer Relations Team.
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Dear CCR FOI Investigation Team,
Please now reply to this request. The due date has passed
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Date: 13 September 2017
Our Reference: 1477835
Dear Mr Fletcher
Thank you for your request for information received on 20th July 2017.
Please find attached our response to your request.
Yours sincerely
Beverley Murphy
Transparency Officer
Cheshire East Council
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
Dear CCR FOI Investigation Team,
Thank you for your answers so far but I am not satisfied with your response.
Listing the items I make relevant comments:
1. A detailed design plan drawing of the proposed link road . You have provided nothing and made no comment. Please provide this information.
2. All documents reporting the outcomes of an CE approved traffic study for Nantwich etc. You have stated that nothing is held and will be subject of future consultation. Item complete.
3. Any document reporting the outcomes of a parking study etc. You have stated that nothing is held and will be subject of future consultation. Item complete.
4. Any document containing proposed traffic calming, parking restrictions, speed limits, etc. You have stated that nothing is held and some parts may be subject of future consultation. Item complete.
5. The Sections 106 documents related to 15/1641N & 14/1823N. You have provided links to planning documents. These links do not provide 106 documents. The documents available are for the most part developers proposals. You have provided nothing. Please provide the requested information.
6. The specific planning approval document that CE rely upon for the authority for the construction of the link road. You have provided one document but this is not a planning approval for the road scheme. Please now provide the required information or declare if you do not hold this.
7. Details of any consultations carried out by CE amongst residents of Edmund Wright Way Estate etc. You have stated that nothing is held and will be subject of future consultation. Item complete.
8. Details of any impact assessment on residents of Edmund Wright Way Estate, and Taylor Drive Estate, etc. including house values, anticipated by the proposed link road. You have stated that nothing is held. item complete.
9. Details of any impact assessment on schools in the Marsh Lane, etc . You have stated that nothing is held. item complete.
10. Any document confirming that Canal and River Trust have agreed the proposed link road, and there is no impact on the stability of the canal embankment. You have stated that nothing is held. Item complete.
In stort items 1, 5 and 6 have not been answered. Please do so without further delay. Thnak you
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Date: 25 September 2017
Our Reference: 1477835
Dear Mr Fletcher
Thank you for your request for a review received on 25 September 2017. I
am sorry that you are dissatisfied with our attempts to handle your
request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004
I can confirm that we are considering your concerns and we will aim to
provide you with a response by 23 October 2017.
Yours sincerely
Gill Clowes
Customer Relations and Compliance Assistant
Cheshire East Council
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
Date: 16 October 2017
Our Reference: 1477835
Mr Fletcher -
Please find attached, the response to your Internal Review.
Yours sincerely
Helen Sweeney
Senior Compliance and Customer Relations Officer
Cheshire East Council
Dear CCR FOI Investigation Team,
Thank you for the response
I confirm that I regard this as complete
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Dear CCR FOI Investigation Team,
I find from other sources that information denined, is in fact available.
I request the item is reopened.
In the original enquiry I asked for:
All documents reporting the outcomes of an CE approved traffic study for Nantwich including safety risk assessments specifically completed in justification of the link road, or other traffic options considered.
I now find on the CE portals this document:
http://doc.cheshireeast.gov.uk/Northgate...
It is apparent from this document that there are other reports too.
I ask again for all documents reporting the outcomes of an CE approved traffic study for Nantwich including safety risk assessments specifically completed in justification of the link road, or other traffic options considered.
regards
David Fletcher
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Mr Fletcher -
I aknowledge receipt.
I have passed your email onto Strategic Highways for their consideration.
Kind regards.
Compliance and Customer Relations Team.
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Dear CCR FOI Investigation Team,
I find from other sources that information denined, is in fact available.
I request the item is reopened.
In the original enquiry I asked for:
All documents reporting the outcomes of an CE approved traffic study for
Nantwich including safety risk assessments specifically completed in
justification of the link road, or other traffic options considered.
I now find on the CE portals this document:
http://doc.cheshireeast.gov.uk/Northgate...
It is apparent from this document that there are other reports too.
I ask again for all documents reporting the outcomes of an CE approved
traffic study for Nantwich including safety risk assessments specifically
completed in justification of the link road, or other traffic options
considered.
regards
David Fletcher
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Mr Fletcher -
Further to your email of 3^rd November I can advise the following:
Strategic Highways have confirmed that further work has been undertaken by
the service since you made your request. Public engagement is due to
commence on 13^th November (today).
I attach documentation in relation to the public engagement exercise.
Further additional information is currently being prepared which will be
available shortly.
Kind regards
Helen Sweeney
Senior Compliance and Customer Relations Officer Cheshire East Council
_____________________________________________
Dear Cheshire East,
You have not answered the request. Please provide the traffic studies which you undoubtedly hold.
It is time now to set a deadline as the mater is out for consultation with a close of 1 December.
If I do not get a response with the studies by close of business 17 November 17 I will refer this to the Information Commissioner who will no doubt instruct you to respond in accordance with the applicable Law.
Thank you for the details of the consultation which I already have.
As you have sent this I feel obliged to respond. In my view this is no better than an uninformed straw pole and has no value whatever in decision making.
In the papers you have not identified the 'problem' you are trying to solve, and not provided any information as to how the options will help to solve that problem.
I ask myself how are respondents going to provide informed opinion? Guess? Just because a lot of people may think one option is a good idea, does that mean it is right and going to work? All options have pros and cons. What are they?
The response time is so short and the information so limited it is impossible to arrange for my own traffic consultant to consider the options or obtain legal advice. I object to this.
Consultation should be for three months. There is no urgency for this matter to be resolved.
In the papers you have written "Improvements at the above locations were originally proposed as part of planning applications and the Council has secured funding for their implementation."
You have studies and there is no reason for these not to be provided.
A very frustrated resident of Cheshire East
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Mr Fletcher -
I have passed this back to Strategic Highways for further advice.
Do you have additional contact information I can pass on to the team please?
A personal email and phone number would be helpful.
Kind regards.
Helen.
Mrs H M Sweeney,
Senior Compliance & Customer Relations Officer,
Compliance & Customer Relations Team,
1st Floor Westfields,
c/o Municipal Buildings,
Earle Street,
Crewe,
CW1 2BJ.
Dear FOI East,
Thanks for your action.
I will not provide private contact information.
This needs to be in the public domain.
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Mr Fletcher –
I am emailing you with further clarification in respect of this request
having liaised with colleagues in the Strategic Highways Service.
They have advised the following:
There are no new traffic studies relating to this matter.
If it would help your understanding of the background of the issue we
would comment as follows:
· The Taylor Drive/Edmund Wright Way link was originally intended
as part of the development of that estate, and it was subsequently the
case that the link was to be implemented. As such, proposals for the link
have been in the public domain for some time.
· Notwithstanding the above, the link was considered more recently
by the applicants of the Queens Drive Phase 1 development (CEC ref.
12/2440N) and Phase 2 development (CEC ref. 14/5814N).
Please click on the following links onto the relevant pages of Cheshire
East Council’s Website:
12/2440N -
[1]http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
14/5814N -
[2]http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
A financial contribution towards the measures was agreed during the Public
Inquiry for the Phase 1 development, Planning Inspectorate reference
APP/R0660/A/12/2187264. Please click on the following link:
[3]https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/...
· The Transport Assessment for the Queens Drive Phase 2
development was produced by developers in 2014 and contains the technical
work supporting the measures, including the problems the measures would
address and the benefits of the measures. This is publicly available from
the Cheshire East planning portal, using planning reference 14/5841N. The
transport assessments supporting that application have been available on
the web site since 2014.
14/5814N -
[4]http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
· The officer’s comments for the Queens Drive Phase 2 development
agreed with the findings of the Transport Assessment in relation to the
measures. These are also publicly available.
14/5814N -
[5]http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
The information has not been disclosed through the EIRs process as it is
already in the public domain and available on Cheshire East Council’s
website.
I apologise for any confusion over this and trust that this clarifies the
matter.
Kind regards.
Mrs H M Sweeney,
Senior Compliance & Customer Relations Officer,
Compliance & Customer Relations Team.
References
Visible links
1. http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
2. http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
3. https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/...
4. http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
5. http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
Dear FOI East,
Thank you the response, and I note there are no new studies for the important issue of traffic flow in Nantwich and in support of the current consultation.
I note you have not now provided any information, only general links to planning applications.
There are hundreds of documents in these portals, and it takes hours of sorting to find anything of relevance to the subject matter. I will check the content of these links and in due course advise whether I now consider this request complete.
I do not find this release of information constitutes 'placing in the public domain'.
It is akin to a needle in a haystack.
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Dear FOI East,
I have checked these links and I am confused.
Your links numbered 2, 4 and 5 are the same link. Is this what you intended or is there something missing?
I attended the consultation meeting tonight. The CEC gentlemen there said that there were reports from the Queens Drive Malbank Waters development that they rely upon for the current traffic proposal and consultation. They indicated that they were by Curtins.
Can you please identify these please. I have this from your 1 above, is this the latest? 07392710. pdf
This report does not talk about the Welsh Row one way system, so there must be a later report.
The Wardell Armstong report I sent to you earlier in this inquiry, they were unaware of. Maybe a good idea to send it to them. In this report is says that CEC instructed the consultants to assume the Taylor Drive link should be built. The reference under 3 above says the same. Is there a study for this please?
Hoping we can conclude this now.
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Mr Fletcher -
Yes the links were the same:
http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
http://planning.cheshireeast.gov.uk/appl...
However, I was given the wrong link to the 2014 case (14/5814N rather than 14/5841N - which is the correct case).
I apologise for the confusion this will have caused.
To aid you in your research, please find attached the four relevant documents - two from each application which are pertinent to your enquiry.
All are labelled Transport on the cases. These are the documents which Strategic Highways are advising are relevant to the Taylor Drive/Edmund Wright Way case.
Kind regards.
Helen.
Mrs H M Sweeney,
Senior Compliance & Customer Relations Officer,
Compliance & Customer Relations Team,
1st Floor Westfields,
c/o Municipal Buildings,
Earle Street,
Crewe,
CW1 2BJ.
Dear FOI East,
Thank you for the prompt response.
I am still missing a report. The Curtins report for 2012 does not refer to the one way system in Welsh Row. The gentlemen last night clearly referred to a report that covers this by Curtins, they said 2014. I see this document 07658273.pdf
Is this the relevant document?
You have not answered as to whether there is a report that covers the assumption that Taylor Drive link will be built. The reports released as make this assumption. Is there anything to support this decision?
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Mr Fletcher -
I am querying the one way system Welsh Row issue with strategic Highways and Planning.
I do remember this as I managed the CNBC One Stop Shop in Nantwich at the time.
This caused a lot of complaints and the (now removed) traffic calming measures in Welsh Row were the result I think.
My initial thought was that it was related to the developments at Kingsley Fields.
However, I will get back to you as soon as I get a response.
Kind regards.
Helen.
Mrs H M Sweeney,
Senior Compliance & Customer Relations Officer,
Compliance & Customer Relations Team.
Dear FOI East,
Can you now please reply to this so that we can close out.
thank you
Yours sincerely,
David Fletcher
Mr Fletcher -
We've sent a reminder to the service for this document.
Many apologies.
Kind regards.
Compliance and Customer Relations Team
Mr Fletcher –
Please find attached a pdf of the document you are requesting.
This document was accessible via the link to the planning portal which was
included within the email of 23^rd November.
Kind regards.
Compliance & Customer Relations Team.
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David Fletcher left an annotation ()
I now call this complete.
It has been a long and frustrating experience, with several examples of CEC not providing the information requested, and providing web links with no context to find what was required, and providing documents out of context.
i regard it a a very poor response.
I have only got the information by doing considerable parallel research and prompting all the way.