School Street Birch Grove - Response

During June 2023 Medway Council has been consulting on a number of sites for the School Street proposal which involves restricting access to roads outside schools with a view to improving the safety of pupils and air quality.

Hempstead and Wigmore Councillors Andrew Lawrence and Jim Gilbourne spent sometime examining the proposal for Birch Grove in Hempstead and Wigmore, speaking to residents in Birch Grove and surrounding roads to ascertain the level of support and also identifying the unintended consequences of the scheme.

Andrew and Jim came to the conclusion that the scheme had a number of issues: -

  • There had been no road traffic accidents involving children in school time for at least three years
  • There had been no measurement of air pollution prior to Birch Grove being selected for the scheme
  • The traffic displaced from Birch Grove will invariably end up in Pine Grove, Almond Grove, Chapel Lane and Hempstead Road which is difficult to pass during school pick-up and drop-off.
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  • Disruption to residents living in Birch Grove - deliveries, visitors etc.
  • Will residents of Birch Grove have to pay to have an exemption certificate to access their homes during the restriction period?
  • Installation of more surveillance cameras to monitor vehicle movements and the impact on privacy
  • Does the scheme represent good value for money?

On the basis of the above Andrew and Jim have sent a detailed response in opposition to the proposal to Council Officers - they understand the final decision will be made on the 11th July 2023.

school street birch grove