As most people will now be aware the Golden Valley Development will bring some very significant changes to west Cheltenham over the coming years. The Forum is aware of how important these changes could be and is especially interested to hear the views and concerns of residents living close to the site.
As a result members of the Hesters Way Forum steering group devised a questionnaire and have been out and about asking questions about the land next to the existing housing along Fiddlers Green Lane and the potential new roads accessing the site.
The questionnaire was completed by 80 residents living adjacent to the site. As you can see from the results displayed here there is a desire to see green and accessible spaces near to the boundary of the new development.
Most people wanted to keep the hedgerow and to retain the existing trees whilst developing a parkland space including more trees, shrubs and wildflowers.
It seems clear from the survey that the new development should, be linked to the existing residential area by natural means as housing and other developments in the area are very unpopular.
There is also an appetite for natural play areas and seating, all connected by a network of walking and cycling routes. Some public art, a café and leisure facilities were desired in this space but the details of these has been left for a further survey of the whole area coming up soon.
As far as access is concerned there is no clear cut choice. Some people prefer the idea of a roundabout where Fiddlers Green Road meets Telstar Way (the likely main access point to the development) Some however, prefer a junction at that point with no clear winner from traffic lights, giving priority to Telstar traffic or of restricted access to Fiddlers Green Road. This is clearly an area for future discussion before the development comes to the planning stage.
The Hesters Way Forum is keen to have further discussion with the Borough Council, Henry Boot (www.henryboot.com ) and Factory who have formed a joint venture to take the project forward.. As far as we know there is to be an announcement made in the very near future regarding the next stages of the development.
If you would like to learn more about the Hesters Way Forum or to receive information about the Neighbourhood Development Plan for Hesters Way the group would be keen to hear from you. For more information please visit;
www.hesterswayforum.co.uk or info@hesterswayforum.co.uk