Representation by Barningham Parish Meeting (Barningham Parish Meeting)
- Date submitted
- 23 August 2022
- Submitted by
- Parish councils
As the village of Barningham does not have a Parish Council the Parish Meeting is the represntative body for its residents. On 4 November 2021 I submitted an objection to National Highways on behalf of the Meeting and this was ratified by a meeting of residents on 24 November. The gist of the objection is as follows. As Barnard Castle is the nearest centre to Barningham for shopping, services, employment and education the journey between the two is that made most frequently by residents. The form of the improvements to the A66 will therefore have a direct and significant impact on them in terms of journey time, length and convenience. The need for traffic to divert to the proposed Rokeby West Juntion would add approximately 2 miles to any journey ito the town, with adverse effects in terms of distance, time, inconvenience and additional emissions. The substantive objection by National Highways to the Rokeby East Junction, proposed earlier in the consultation (the Blue Route), appears to be that it would cause unnacceptable harm to the Rokeby Park Registered Park and Garden (RPG). However, very substtantial damage was done to that designated area some years ago when improvements to the A66 severed part of the Park and an access drive from the rest. The limited area of the RPG on which the Blue Route would impinge is of very modest importance in historical and landscape terms and would not be substantial in terms of National Networks Policy Statement 2014. The benefits of the Blue Route would significantly outweigh any harm caused in terms of the same Statement.