A PRESSURE group has highlighted concerns that plans for a new roundabout and multiple pedestrian crossings on Burnham Road will cause traffic chaos for Maldon district drivers.

The Woodham and Dengie Infrastructure Group believes the plans will cause delays not only for residents of South Woodham Ferrers (SWF), but for many people driving to and out of the Dengie area.

The Essex Highways proposals are for the part of Burnham Road that currently runs along the northern perimeter of SWF, but which will bisect the town when planned new housing development is complete.

The group wants Essex Highways to reconsider its proposals for roads in the area and build a new northern bypass for SWF "for the sake of the town's residents and workers and those from the Dengie".

In a survey carried out by the group online and on paper, in which 743 local respondents took part, 95 per cent agreed that after looking at the plans they believed the result would be "severe traffic congestion".

The same percentage of those answering the questions also felt that the bypass option should be reconsidered.

Stow Maries Parish Council: "We need joined-up thinking and a long term fix."

The group has been working to inform parish councils in the areas potentially affected by the road proposals of their concerns, including Stow Maries Parish Council and Cold Norton Parish Council.

Sarah Sayer, Clerk for Stow Maries Parish Council, said: "The roads already suffer from congestion and with plans for thousands of new homes and the Bradwell B nuclear plant proposal, we really feel that there needs to be some joined-up thinking now by everyone involved.

"We are very concerned about these road plans and a short-term option is not what is needed – we need a long-term fix."

Maldon district councillor for Althorne Ward, Independent Councillor Mark Bassenger, said: " As a user of the existing road I believe in order not to have considerable congestion caused by any new development the appropriate Infrastructure – i.e. a bypass - should be put in place as a first consideration, rather than as a Section 106 agreement."

A Section 106 agreement is a binding agreement with developers to provide or put specified funds towards an infrastructure development, such as roads. These often become problematic in reality and there is an argument that the planned infrastructure does not then fall in place in a timely fashion once developments have gone ahead.

Essex County Council responds

A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: ""Work is currently being carried out as part of the Chelmsford Local Plan which outlines the highways infrastructure that is required to be provided by developers to support the new housing development in South Woodham Ferrers. This infrastructure includes new access points, roundabouts, bus services, additional pedestrian and cycle connections and improvements to the local road network.

"It is important that appropriate infrastructure to support the continued growth we are seeing across key areas in Essex is considered in all Local Plans. Plans for this specific area have previously undergone an Examination in Public (EIP) and were approved by the inspector in terms of specific highways and transportation considerations. The provision of a bypass was not considered necessary for this location and therefore does not form part of these plans."

The group is determined to fight on

However, the Woodham and Dengie Infrastructure Group is determined to fight on.

A spokesperson said: "As you can see the results of the survey are conclusive – there is a high level of agreement that the plans for the Burnham Road are disastrous and those concerned with ensuring that our roads are fit for purpose need to go back to the drawing board.

"We will be communicating the results to all concerned in the hope that common sense will prevail and a solution which is in everybody's best interests can be found."

Anyone interested in finding out more about the group can visit [L[https://https://www.w-i-g.co.uk/[L+]the Woodham and Dengie Infrastructure Group website here.[.L]