Representation by Steven Woodward
- Date submitted
- 15 October 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
We have recently moved to Boreham, from Chelmsford, and one the major reasons that we chose Boreham was its lovely village feel. We love the fact that people walk around, cheerily stopping for a chat. We love the quaint little lanes, and the fact that children can spend time outdoors safely. Boreham has many old, protected buildings and conservation area's, as well as green spaces, which make it very different from the City of Chelmsford. I have strong concerns about the proposed closure of junction 20A A12 Southbound and how it will change Boreham village. I understand that there have been traffic survey's conducted within the village of Boreham. However, as these were completed some time ago, I don't believe that enough consideration has been given to recent new housing plans and the additional traffic that this will bring. With the closure of J20A, all traffic from Maldon & Hatfield Peverel area will likely head through Boreham village to join the A12 southbound, even with the proposed new junction at Witham South. This seems to be a major failing in one of the A12 widening project deliverables to remove traffic from local routes. Suggestions to lower speed limits and introduce traffic calming on the main road through Boreham will likely have little or no impact. On a slightly more personal note, we have recently had a small taste of how Boreham village might be with a junction closure due to the ongoing works around junction 19 and it was just horrible. Traffic queues were running through the village and subsequently, cars were using Church Road and Plantation Road as a route to try to avoid the queues. Additional traffic does not just stick to main roads, it impacts every connected road as people try to beat the queues. The small B roads around Boreham village are simply not suitable for large volumes of traffic. I ask for a review of the closure of junction 20A, with a view to adapting it in order to keep it open in some amended design. If this is not possible, I ask for a review of how it is planned to keep traffic from using Boreham village instead.