Representation by Derbyshire County Council (Derbyshire County Council)
- Date submitted
- 2 August 2019
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
This representation is made on behalf of Derbyshire County Council (DCC) in its statutory role as Highway Authority, Lead Local Flood Authority and Minerals and Waste Planning Authority for the administrative area of Derbyshire. The representation below, primarily focusses on the implications for DCC of the Little Eaton Junction improvement scheme, which is located within the administrative area of Derbyshire. DCC considers that the A38 junctions scheme, particularly relating to the Little Eaton junction element of the scheme, is broadly in accordance with the policy principles of National Policy Statement for National Networks (NPDNN), National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Erewash Borough Core Strategy (EBCS) and the vision and objectives of the Derbyshire Local Transport Plan (LTP). The scheme would be likely to generate significant economic benefits for the area, in providing additional capacity on the network that would help to deliver and facilitate the significant planned housing and employment growth in the Derby City and wider Derby Housing Market Area (HMA) that is set out in the three Local Plans for the Derby HMA. This capacity would particularly help facilitate the delivery of a number of large strategic housing and employment allocations in the vicinity of the A38 corridor that are set out in the three local plans within and on the edge of Derby City. The A38 improvements would address congestion and delay problems on the existing network and help provide better connectivity between people and jobs across the HMA and provide significant benefits to businesses in being able to transport their goods and services more quickly and efficiently on the network and across the Derby HMA and wider area of the East Midlands providing other economic and social benefits. A detailed assessment has been carried out by DCC of the potential environmental impacts of the scheme, especially the Little Eaton junction improvements. This assessment has concluded that the scheme would not constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt, particularly as there is a clear need for the scheme to be provided within a Green Belt location. Concerns have been expressed, however, about the current design of the scheme and the extensive embankment that carries the A38 across the floodplain of the River Derwent and its impact on the landscape and landscape character of the area and consequential impacts on the open character of the Green Belt and Outstanding Universal value (OUV) of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site (DVMWHS). DCC considers that the scheme could be significantly improved if it incorporated an elegant viaduct to carry the improved A38 across the floodplain. This would be likely to reduce the visual impact on the openness of the Green Belt, landscape and landscape character and OUV of the DVMWHS. Some issues have been raised on flood risk requiring further clarification from the applicant. The likely highway impacts of the scheme have been assessed by DCC’s officers based on the applicant’s Traffic Impact Assessment, who are satisfied that the proposed scheme would operate satisfactorily and journey times would improve as a result of the Scheme. Concerns have been raised about the closure of Ford Lane and its impact on local businesses, particularly relating to proposed weight restrictions on the Ford Lane bridge, which requires clarification from the applicant. Archaeological and ecology impacts are considered to be minimal and appropriate investigation and survey work has been carried out by the applicant to ensure that these impacts have been properly assessed and appropriate mitigation proposed.