Representation by British Mountaineering Council (British Mountaineering Council)
- Date submitted
- 14 September 2021
- Submitted by
- Non-statutory organisations
The British Mountaineering Council is the national representative body for climbers, mountaineers and hill walkers in England and Wales. From our perspective the main issues we consider the Inspector should examine relate to the impact the Link Road will clearly have on the A57, the A628, and recreation in the Peak District National Park. The wider impact of the proposed Link Road must be every bit as relevant to its planning as the infrastructure of the road itself. Statutory purposes for which National Parks were created in this country include the landscape, biodiversity, conservation and enjoyment of the special qualities of those areas which were so dedicated, for National benefit. The title of the project – A57 Link Road – suggests part at least of the concept of the new road will be to facilitate traffic flows, and inevitably see an increase, onto the A 57 Snake Pass. This is already a high risk road for fatal and serious injury crashes. Increasing traffic flow on such a road would seem, self evidently, ill advised. Furthermore, we believe increasing traffic on a trunk road through a National Park to be contrary to National Policy. A foreseeable corollary will be demand for significant new engineering works on both this road, and on the A628, where these pass through the National Park, to the detriment of its conservation, and quiet enjoyment of its special qualities. Many established walking routes, and not just the National routes like the Pennine Way, cross areas of Peak Moorland north to south. Crossing the A57 and A628 is already hazardous with existing traffic flows. Additionally safe parking for vehicles is prohibitively difficult, a contributory factor to road safety issues and a cause of local nuisance. These aspects, let alone the impact on wildlife, do not, on our reading, receive anything like adequate coverage in the proposals. They must surely be integral to it: the Link Road is not just a stand alone development. It can not responsibly be considered in disregard of its wider impact on people, and indeed to wildlife. Even now roadkill is significant. Outdoor recreation and access to specially protected landscapes is directly relevant to the health of the community. It is as important nationally as ease of the passage of road traffic. The application to us would seem to be seriously lacking in any consideration of this essential element, and as it stands appears to have been conceived from an exclusively narrow perspective. Though outside our particular area of expertise we would also voice a general concern that increasing traffic flows, as predicted, will generate more carbon emissions, which would be contrary to National policies on their reduction. It would seem counter intuitive that the way to alleviate an acknowledged traffic flow problem is confined to a hugely expensive investment which can only increase that traffic flow, to the detriment of a valued National asset, and its enjoyment.