Representation by Susan Ward (Susan Ward )
- Date submitted
- 31 August 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The Ward family run their businesses from Carkin Moor Farm which looks directly south across the A66. Located at Carkin Moor are various let residential properties, the farm office and hub of the farming business, holiday cottage accommodation and poultry sheds. The proposed works to the A66 will have a significant visual, noise and vibration impact due to the increase in height and width and increased usage and speeds on the A66. The environmental works planned will not mitigate the visual and noise impact due to the topography of the land as it falls steeply south to the A66. The scheme will impact the future plans for the farming business and the planning permission that has been granted for a new poultry shed. The loss of land to the scheme and the land being severed by the bridleway underpass will jeopardise this due to the area of land that is required to support the poultry shed. There also safety concerns of a lifted section of road due to high winds and adverse weather conditions to an exposed section of the A66. It is understood that part of the reasoning behind the road being lifted, rather than going into a cutting, is due to the Scheduled Monument. Discussions have been had on site in respect of at what stage does preserving a monument that cannot be seen outweigh the significant impact on the present design as listed above for the future. It is understood that further archaeological work is required to fully understand the exact location and extent of the monument and what it consists of in order to make a fully informed decision as to the design for this section of the scheme. The proposed new bridleway underpass to the north of Warrener Lane will have a visual impact on the surroundings and the cost of this is significant. It would be preferable to divert the existing route to tie in with other bridleways serving the area. We had been told that the underpass is now 5m wide and 3.7m high and considerably wider and higher than the previous design. We question the dimensions of the underpass and are disappointed that no meeting has been held with my client, or with us as agents to discuss this in detail when it has such an effect on my client’s property. Due to the increase in size, this underpass becomes more of a road than a bridleway, we therefore have concerns and feel the revised design is excessive. The proposal will cause a security issue from the southern and northern access points, security measures would need to be implemented, e.g., locked gates, which are suitable for horse access to prevent cars and motorbikes from using this route. As discussed at various site meetings with Highways England the Ward family and their Tenants have learned to live with the A66 over the years and accept an upgrade is required from an infrastructure and safety perspective. However, the impacts listed above will have a significant impact on both their views, quality of life, future for the businesses and the value of their properties.