Ballyoan traffic issues to be ironed out

The Minister welcomed a meeting with the developer of 850 houses and his team, which outlined the South Bank Square Ltd. development proposal at Ballyoan and the resulting traffic impacts on junctions in the area and possible mitigation measures.

Discussions to date have been centred primarily on traffic impacts at Gransha and Caw Roundabouts.

The 850 development is currently the subject of a planning application which has been submitted to Derry City and Strabane District Council

Speaking after a meeting with the Ballyoan Housing Development team the Minister said: “This is a hugely important development for Derry and my Department is committed to working with the developer and his team to seek to address the traffic related issues arising from the Transport Assessment.

“The housing development is situated adjacent to Caw Roundabout which is a very busy intersection which carries in excess of 50,000 vehicles per day.

“The nature and scale of this development required a Transport Assessment to be submitted to identify the traffic impacts generated by the proposed development as well as proposed mitigation measures and sustainable transport measures in the form of walking, cycling and bus provision to facilitate this development.”

The review of the TA and options study for Caw and Gransha Roundabouts is currently being undertaken by the Department’s Consultant partner Amey. A draft report is expected to be with the Department within weeks. When the TA has been reviewed and the Department has identified its preferred option, it will then be in a position to advise the developer and the planning authority of its position.