Residents object to homes over road safety concerns

Plans for three pre-constructed homes at a former builder’s storage yard in Epsom have been met with opposition, as neighbours claim the area is at “bursting point”.

Residents on Fairview Road, next to the development site, say the road cannot cope with what they anticipate will be a 50% increase in traffic.

The scheme, approved by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, is aimed at helping ease the use of expensive nightly hotel rooms for homeless families.

Councillor Steven McCormick said: “The approved accommodation will strengthen local communities by enabling local families at risk of homelessness to stay within the borough.”

Councillors decided that the significant benefits of providing accommodation to families in need in the borough outweighed the perceived harms.

The council report also concluded that the development would not result in an increase in traffic generation, create highway safety issues or cause problems with the existing operation of the network.

The modular homes, which look similar to a storage container, will support families on the housing register by providing temporary accommodation in the borough.

But residents say the council has approved an “unsafe” project which saves the council money but harms locals.

“We’re at bursting point,” said Debbie Ransome, who lives in Fairview Road.

Fairview Road is one of three entrances to Glyn School and hundreds of students walk through every day.

Ms Ransome said she sometimes has to act like a “lollipop lady” and go out into the street to shepherd the children around the cars.

The school's headteacher, Jo Garrod, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There’s no explanation how it’s going to be safe.”

Mr McCormick added: “The local families who will be housed in the temporary modular buildings are likely to feel more secure at Fairview Road than in alternative temporary accommodation out of the borough.

“The approved scheme will help reduce the upheaval families feel.”

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