The impact of traffic

Excessive traffic

The increase in traffic (and the accompanying noise and pollution) a store this size would attract is a major concern. 

Sainsbury's say the store is for the local community, to save us driving out of Dorridge, but in fact, with a catchment population of 24,000, compared to 8,000 in Dorridge already, for every journey saved there are potentially another 2 coming into the centre of Dorridge from outside. Independent consultants using the industry standard TRICS database advise that a store this size here would generate an estimated 5,000 vehicle trips on a typical weekday. The plans also predict 9 truck trips, 4 of which will be 38-tonne HGVs up and down Station Road between 5am and 11pm each day.

Insufficient parking

Parking is a major concern. Sainsbury’s proposed roof-top car park has spaces for just 179 vehicles – that’s a mere 88 more than we have now. This is for the customers and staff of the supermarket and other shops and services in the village – including an extended doctor’s business. Morrison’s similarly sized central Solihull store has about twice the number of spaces proposed for the new Forest Court.

For the record, DROVS favour a smaller store which would allow room for more parking in relation to the store. We don’t think that a double storey Chiltern car park is a sensible option, forcing people with trolleys and bags of shopping or surgery patients to cross over Grange Road.

Our expert report

Our expert consultant’s report, commissioned and paid for by DROVS supporters, justifies the widespread public concern about the traffic and parking problems this development could present.

As you’ll see from the full report, DROVS’ traffic consultants say: ‘There is the potential for the capacity of the car park to be significantly exceeded.’ They have called for further tests and data-collection to be carried out. This work must be done and the results carefully analysed – and published - before the application proceeds.

Read DROVS expert report on traffic and parking from Phil Jones Associates