Action Group 'Concerned' About Impact Of New Stadium

Worries that matchday gridlock would affect Chiswick High Road

The Chiswick High Road Action Group (CHRAG) has said it is "very concerned" that the proposed new Brentford Football Stadium would lead to march-day gridlock on the High Road, as well as poorer air quality, traffic congestion and a strain on local public transport.

In its initial response to the plans for the Lionel Road stadium, the action group said it was worried about "several aspects" of the new proposals and the associated "enabling development."

"While appreciating the contribution Brentford Football Club has made to the local area, and its relevance to the locality, Chiswick High Road Action Group (CHRAG) is very concerned about several aspects of the new proposals for the new Brentford Football Club stadium the associated “enabling development”.

"Both the match-day implications of the new and much enlarged stadium and the huge proposed increase in local population through the residential and commercial development are of concern.
While the Lionel Road site is in Brentford, it borders the Chiswick High Road, " a statement from CHRAG said.

The proposed enabling development "constitutes insensitive intensification", which is out of scale and character with the residential neighbourhoods adjacent to it and visually the development would " tower over" these Conservation areas.

"The development will also have considerable social impact on the area covered by CHRAG in terms of services (schools, medical provision, transport, etc). Hounslow is more than meeting its housing target and there is a large amount of residential development recently constructed or in the pipeline in Brentford," continued the statement.

"We feel it is essential to guard against over-dense residential developments. As indicated in our response to to Hounslow’s Context and Character Study, January 2013, attempting to off-set inadequate on-site private and public amenity space by providing funding for provision elsewhere in the borough is no solution.

The impact of the stadium and the residential development on traffic and public transport in Chiswick is an issue of major concern. Match-day gridlock at the Chiswick Roundabout would cause severe traffic problems for Chiswick High Road, already a busy and congested road with a high volume of traffic, and poor air quality. Increased use of public transport requires that the serious access/capacity problems at Gunnersbury Station (already long overdue) be addressed first.

The statement adds that The Chiswick High Road Action Group (CHRAG) fully endorses the concerns of the other societies representing neighbouring areas in realtion to the high-rise residential enabling development.

May 8, 2013