Priors Hall and Weldon crossing petition gathers pace

Residents want the crossing to go here, on the A43

A {https://www.change.org/p/northamptonshire-highways-safe-crossing-of-the-a43-between-priors-hall-park-and-weldon-village/u/23341546 |petition for a footbridge or a road crossing|} over the A43 has been launched by local people who say that, as the population of both areas grows, there needs to be a safer way for pedestrians to travel between them.

Priors Hall is yet to get its own shop, pub and medical surgeries so most residents of the 1,000 homes have to use the facilities in Weldon.

They are proposing that the crossing is placed at the junction of two existing paths that emerge from both sides of the road on to the A43, between the old Weldon / Priors Haw roundabout and the new Priors Hall roundabout on the A43.

This is the damage caused by a recent crash near to the crossing

Steven Esler, a member of the Priors Hall Park Neighbourhood Association, said: “A lot of people are really keen for this to happen.

“A lot of families and children use the road and it’s just not safe.

“There are already 1,000 homes and there are going to be 5,000 so things are only going to get more dangerous.

“The amount of crashes we’ve had there over the past few weeks has been unbelievable.

“I’ve heard that there has to have been a serious accident before they’ll do anything but that system seems a bit backward to me.”

Steve is hoping that some section 106 money - cash handed over by builders to the local authority to mitigate the impact of their development on the community - might be made available to provide a crossing.

He is also hoping that there may be a way to use some of the recent £3.9m grant for the Steel Road / A43 roundabout infrastructure grant to provide the crossing.

A Northamptonshire County Council spokesman said: “The Priors Hall development was designed to be self-contained with an array of amenities including schools, shops and sustainable transport links.

“Financial constraints have meant that the Priors Hall development has not been fully completed as originally planned although greater progress is now being made. However, some residents are choosing to walk into the nearby village of Weldon to access facilities there.

“The remaining section 106 money from the Priors Hall development is already committed and as such, due to the specific nature of this agreement, can’t be used for a crossing over the A43.

“However, works and contributions from another development at nearby Weldon Park, includes works to the A43. These, however, are not envisaged for some time as sufficient houses have not been built yet to trigger such works, although progress is also being made on that development.

“We recognise the concerns of the residents and we are working with the developers to review crossing facilities in the vicinity.”

You can sign the petition here