Traffic Chaos Fears Over Sporting Club Redevelopment

Grove Park locals concerned Quintin Hogg Trust plans could mean weekend congestion

Artist's impression of development

Locals living close to the Thames in Grove Park say they are concerned that ambitious plans by The Quintin Hogg Trust for a redevelopment of their sporting facilities could lead to traffic jams in a quiet residential area.

The residents, who said they initially supported the club's proposals say the plans have intensified to include seven day a week use, including use by schools and possibly Rosslyn Park rugby club. They say the volume of traffic would lead to congestion and parking problems in a road that is already under pressure at weekends from visitors to sporting events and local rowing clubs (see image below of last Sunday's traffic flow)

Opposite the site is Quintin Hogg Memorial Ground which houses a Health Club, nursery and University of Westminster Sports Ground, which comprises cricket, hockey and football pitches.

"Grove Park residents are urged to make representations to the Council and their Councillors that this proposal should not proceed until a comprehensive traffic management document has been produced for the area , which at the very least should incorporate a new mini roundabout to manage access to the sports facilities to the North and South of Hartington Road and full consideration given to the potential impact of a realistic assessment of traffic and parking generation," said one local.

Local residents have made formal objections on a number of grounds :
- the scale of the proposed buildings
- the noise , floodlights and visual impacts of the intensity of use
- Traffic and parking impacts

"The Application suggests Sunday usage of 530 with only 44 car spaces (plus 40 overflow) on a site which does not include proposed use by colleges or schools nor Saturday matches. Planning advice to residents is that these estimates by the Applicant are based on inadequate data and flawed assumptions resulting in potential serious under-estimates of parking demand on site and in Hartington Road.

"The Applicants defer how they intend to cope with rugby and rowing special event traffic.
T he proposal includes a store for 140 boats with an ambition to increase this to 300 boats but with no indication of how this will be achieved nor its effect on traffic generation and parking."

Apart from local schools which would arrive in the afternoons, and evening training sessions, Rosslyn Park Rugby Club have shown their interest in operating their training sessions and matches from the proposed development. This could bring an estimated 500 people to the club on a weekend.

The Quintin Hogg Trust plans for the site which has been the home club for Westminster University rowing include not only rebuilding the club house, but providing a first class facility for the wider community through partnerships with local schools, many of whom already use Memorial Ground for other sports. There will be training pitches and fully accessible proper changing facilities. The club submitted its Masterplan for planning approval last year.

The club has undertaken a noise survey and a transport survey which says that the proposed development will create an independent access road, with a minimum distance to the nearest
residential façade of approximately 54m. A new car park with 44 parking places (plus 56 parking places in an adjacent overflow area) and three parking places for buses is also being proposed

Their Transport Survey says that the proposal could be developed with no severe traffic impact on the local road network and it has been undertaken in accordance with Department for Transport Guidance.

March 10, 2019