Agenda item

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Open Spaces on the Proposed Honey Lane (A121) Pedestrian Crossing Point Adjacent Woodgreen Road Forest Side junction.

A Member of the Committee noted that they considered the proposed position of the pedestrian crossing correct and commented that a 20MPH speed limit on Honey Lane would be sensible to improve pedestrian safety. In addition, the Member requested clarification on the use of the Epping Forest buffer lands as compensatory land for Highway dedications.  The Superintendent explained that policy commitments had been made to both increase accessibility to Epping Forest and to retain or expand the existing landholding.  In this case the Highway Authority does not possess any suitable land for the exchange and therefore the purchase and dedication of Buffer Land  to Forest would address the Trustee’s Land Retention Policy objective.

RESOLVED- That: -

1. A clear position that the City Corporation will not consider any further dedication until the land exchange, outstanding since September 2011, for the traffic safety scheme at High Beach is completed be agreed; and
2. That a negotiating position be agreed requesting the reduction in speed restrictions on Honey Lane from 40mph to 30mph and the installation, with Essex County Council Cabinet Member special approval, of a signalised ‘Pegasus’ Crossing with the dedication of 10m2 of Forest Land to facilitate the installation of appropriate tactile paving; and
3. That Members agreed that should the Highway Authority continue to propose crossing islands and be unable to offer compensatory land already in their ownership contiguous with Forest boundaries, Officers should indicate that Committee would offer the purchase, subject to valuation by the District Valuer, and dedication of Buffer Land as Forest Land as a suitable exchange.