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Advice to Jon Platt

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Enquiry

From
Jon Platt
Date advice given
13 June 2014
Enquiry type
Post

A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Schem e

Iam writing as a resident of Hilton for the past 17 years and consider the proposed above scheme will have a very significant negative impact on the village in many ways.

I have attended various open meetings organised by the Parish Counc il and also attended v arious exhibitions of the plans for the above in the local village hall.

: wo,tld like to comment on a oumber of issues which I think should be more clearly explained in respect of the proposals and these are as follows -

  1. The existing A 14 in the area is not elevated and it has not been made clear why the proposed elevation is necessary or the likely height of suc_h elevation. This proposed elevation will obviously be more visual from a distance and also possibly the village - if more precise details we re available, it would be possible to conside the impact of this on the village.Ithink that further consideration should be given as to why this elevation will greatly improve the functionality of this improvement.

  2. The proposed improvement to the A 14 w ill bring the road a lot closer to the village with increased level of noise , air pollution etc. Again , furthe r consideration should be given as to whether any alternatives are possible so as to minimise the impact on the village.

  3. Following a review of the existing plans available for the route of the?improved' A 14 indicate that there will be considerably more traffic through the village as a quicker alternative to reach surrounding towns and villages ie. between Godmanchester and St lves.ln view of the proposed junctions for the improved road, again , a siginficant number of vehicles are likely to use the village as there will be changes to access to various villages and towns in the area.

  4. If the improvement goes ahead, a number of restrictions should be placed on construction traffic and construction compounds so as to minimise the impact on the village.lf possible , no construction traffic being allowed t hrough the village for t he duration of the construction. The Scheme is a very significant development which will take years to complete and thts will clearly impact on our village for many years.

5 When I attended one of the exhibitions in the village hall , it became clear that insufficent thought had been given to any noise reduc tions plans for the scheme ie. natural banking , sound barners and it would be very helpful to know how t his will be addressed and how much has been provided in the scheme financing for this. In addition, very little information was available as to whether any pre scheme review of the possible noise impact etc on t he village was likely to be undertaken.

I appreciate lf)at the A 14 is a major route and requires an upgrade but Ido not think that sufficient thought has been given to the impact of the scheme on village life in Hilton. In line with other residents in the village , Iwould welcome a further consultation period to assess whether there are alternative routes possible and also to consider whether sufficient conside ration has been given to minimising the impact on the village from many aspects so as to protect the future of the village and its residents.

I look forward to receiving a response to this letter as soon as possible.

Advice given

Dear Mr Platt Thank you for your letter addressed to Sir Michael Pitt regarding the proposed Cambridge to Huntingdon A14 improvement scheme. It has been passed to me, as the case manager, to respond. This proposal is currently at the pre-application stage. As you are aware, the Highways Agency is currently consulting with local communities and prescribed consultees on their proposal in accordance with the duties which the Planning Act 2008 (as amended) places upon them. I am unsure as to whether you have responded directly to the Highways Agency with your comments, as the Highways Agency will be under a duty to take account of relevant responses. The closing date for this consultation period is 15 June 2014. It is at the developer?s discretion whether to accept any representations after that date. As your letter raises concerns with the consultation being carried out you may also wish to send a copy of your correspondence to the relevant local authority for this area. When the application is submitted to The Planning Inspectorate, local authority consultees will be invited to provide their comments on the adequacy of the developer?s consultation detailing whether the developer complied with their consultation duties in accordance with the Planning Act 2008. Following the submission of the application, a decision will be made within 28 days as to whether the application can be accepted for examination. In deciding whether or not to accept an application the Planning Inspectorate must, amongst other matters, have regard to any adequacy of consultation representation received by it from a local authority consultee. If the developer is deemed to have adequately carried out their pre-application duties and the application is accepted for examination, there will be the opportunity to register your views with The Planning Inspectorate and participate in the examination by completing a relevant representation form. Details about how and when to register will be publicised by the developer. Please note that you are unable to register as an interested party during the current (pre-application) stage of the process for this proposal. Further information about how to participate in the application process can be found in our advice notes. I have enclosed two advice notes which may be of particular interest. If you have any further queries, please don?t hesitate to contact us.