Residents say street lighting and zebra crossing will ‘exacerbate’ problems in Hallow village

A proposed housing plan in Hallow, near Worcester, will introduce 33 new homes as part of the South Worcestershire Development Plan. The proposal states Hayfield Homes Ltd will create a housing estate in a field off Main Road, opposite the Ladygo Stores.

Along with the new housing, a zebra crossing and street lighting is set to be fitted outside the primary school.

Local district councillor, Dean Clarke said: “It is my understanding that some years ago Hallow School requested a zebra crossing and that Hallow Parish Council supported this.

“At this present time the school does not have a crossing patrol person so the need for a zebra crossing has become more urgent. It has become a possibility due to Section 106 funds becoming available from the nearby Hayfields Development.

“I recently met with our County Councillor and Highways officers for a site visit. The zebra crossing will unfortunately involve the provision of some street lighting, the loss of some parking and more importantly major traffic disruption whilst it is installed, which I understand may now take place during the Autumn half term holiday.”

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Residents have spoken out against the proposed plans in the village.

Carole Gibbs said: “It’s a bit of duck and dive when trying to cross that road. The traffic on the A443 is already very congested. At certain times of the day it is virtually impossible to get off my drive onto the A443 due to the volume of traffic. To create a new estate, access where proposed will only exacerbate the problem further.

“Nowhere in the village are there street lights, it’s part of the beauty and attraction of living here.”

Mike Baldwin, owner of the Ladygo Stores, said: “The road is dangerous as it is. I have been here for 20 years and the traffic situation has always been manic. It’s a very busy road. Sometimes you can be waiting up to 10 minutes to try and cross.”

Sarah Willis said: “Hallow village enjoys dark skies so street lighting will not be a welcome addition in the village. I have always wanted to live in the village. But in the last 12 months it has become unrecognisable.”

Sue Ashford said: “The volume of traffic is already huge. Parking really fills up, especially during the school pick up times. It’s going to be really busy if the new development happens. It’s bad enough as it is.”

Jan Cowles said: “The positioning of the new access point isn’t ideal. The new access will make things so much worse. People park on the corner of the road or the curb. It obstructs our view when we try to get out of our street.

“As for the street lights, it will encourage people to drive even faster through the village. Late at night you can hear cars speeding past. They need to slow down. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”

Duncan Rudge, planning services manager at Malvern Hills District Council, said: “The applicant’s Transport Statement explains that some improvements are recommended, such as the construction of an uncontrolled crossing to help connection to the primary school, as well as traffic regulation orders to prevent parking close to the new site access.

“However, Worcestershire County Council already has a zebra crossing scheme which will be installed next to the pedestrian entrance. The work will go ahead just as soon as the necessary technical approvals are in place, therefore, the developer’s proposed scheme is not required.”

A spokesman from Hayfield Homes Ltd said: “We have an acute housing shortage; in particular, affecting young people and we need to be building more homes of all types in communities.”