New Syon Park exit road
NEW EXIT ROAD PROPOSED FOR SYON PARK. FOLLOWS CLOSURE OF THE GARDEN CENTRE AND CHURCH STREET, AND DELAYS TO TRAFFIC INCLUDING TO THE ENCHANTED WOODLANDS. It will "provide the opportunity for the re-use of the garden centre and provide new employment opportunities."The planning application has just been filed with Hounslow Council. It states:Given the recent closure of Wyevale Garden Centre, Northumberland Estates are seeking to secure the long-term future of Syon Park, and the proposed link road is part of the wider strategy to ensure that Syon Park remains an attractive and sustainable location for new businesses and operators to occupy the now vacant garden centre.1.3 Recent changes to the surrounding highway network, particularly the closure of Church Street, have had an impact on the access and operation of Syon Park. The closure of Church Street had negatively impacted the number of visitors to Wyevale Garden Centre prior to its closure, as well as contributing towards increased travel times for visitors accessing Syon Park and Hotel.1.4 The closure of Church Street has required all traffic to travel via alternative routes (for example the Park Road/Twickenham Road and Busch Corner junctions). This change to the highway network has resulted in visitors to and from Syon Park experiencing significant journey times, with a direct result on business patronage and the long-term sustainability of Syon Park as a key visitor, leisure, and business destination.1.5 A recent example of this includes Syon Park’s annual Enchanted Woodland event, which was negatively affected by the surrounding highway network. The Park Road/Twickenham Road was subjected to three-way traffic lights which resulted in significant delays for visitors to the event, with many visitors taking up to two hours leaving Syon Park. The proposed London Road egress would have significantly alleviated this situation and allowed visitors to leave Syon Park without delay, also negating the need for two-way traffic along Park Road and thus benefiting the entirety of the surrounding highway network.1.6 The latest changes to the surrounding highway network have altered the previous historic arrangement and has effectively reduced Syon Park’s access and egress from two routes, at the Syon Park gates, to just one route along Park Road. The proposed development provides an alternative egress from Syon Park and will redress this position and re-instate the previous long-term highway access that Syon Park has benefited from.1.7 The key benefits of the proposed link road are:Provide the opportunity for the re-use of the garden centre and provide new employment opportunities at Syon Park, with sustainable transport links to the local highway networkEnable a more efficient egress route, particularly for hotel guests travelling via Heathrow Airport, avoiding the congestion of the local highway network, improving the reliability of journey times to Syon ParkA notable improvement to the cycle environment on Park Road as a result of the reduction in trafficReduction in traffic movement at the Park Road/Twickenham Road junction, improving capacity for local residents and cycle accessReduction in traffic at Busch Corner junction with traffic travelling eastbound on London Road able to avoid the junction when leaving the site1.8 Given the above, and the local highway context surrounding Syon Park, it is considered essential to deliver this link road to improve the capacity and access to and from Syon Park, making the site a more attractive and sustainable destination. Furthermore, the link road would have a significant benefit in alleviating traffic flow and over-capacity at other key locations in the local highway network.The development is for a one-way link road connecting Syon Park to the A315 London Road. The link road will be 3m wide, with a 1m service strip. The full stretch of road measures 179m and has been designed to achieve appropriate forward visibility along its full alignment. The road will tie-in to the existing road alignment adjacent to Syon Park Hotel, and a new barrier will be installed at the existing gate egress to London Road, along with new road markings and signage to ensure that the road is used safely and appropriately.The proposed link road has been designed by Caneparo Associates, and can be seen on the ‘Detail Design General Arrangement Plan’. The road has been designed to meander in a parkland style, with soft landscaping either side of the carriageway to soften the edge and provide sustainable drainage, as well as utilising all arisings on-site. A new post and rail fence and hedge is proposed at the new egress to London Road to provide a positive boundary treatment.
Reg Ghosh ● 2461d15 Comments ● 2453d