Representation by Paul Crooks
- Date submitted
- 3 September 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object to the Temple Sowerby- Appleby section for a number of reasons as follow This section of the road travels through the Eden river SAC/SSI and is within the setting of the North Pennines AONB. The obvious solution is to upgrade the existing road and extend the existing 40 MPH speed limit. This option has never been offered for consultation even though minutes of NH meeting recognise that this would be the option most attractive to the villagers of Kirkby Thore and also the least damaging from an environmental point of view. Obscure justifications have been given for the decision to build a northern route costing an undisclosed figure, such as the road impacting on the milk quality of dairy cows. This is absurd. The existing road already travels past the farm in question and there has never been any suggestion that air pollution has impacted on milk quality. This justification by NH (apparently raised within another schemes but not supported by evidence) completely ignore the fact that farm on the southern route operates a No Graze/Total Confinement system which inevitably minimises exposure to pollution as its cows are indoors. It is ironic that NH do not extend the same concern to other farms whose both beef and dairy will now be in close proximity to the road. What is more alarming is that there appears to be more concerns about cows exposure to pollution than humans. More residents of Kirkby Thore will now be exposed to air/ noise pollution than currently but there is no reference to WHO air pollution targets. The selection of the northern route means that 1) opportunity to remove a major source of agricultural run off into the river Eden will be lost and 2) reduce residents exposure to air pollution via ammonia will be lost. What have these concerns not featured in consideration of route selection given the rising concern about agricultures impact on river health . Eden Rivers Trust objections have been ignored. The southern route provided an opportunity to reduce pollution to the river Eden by removing the agricultural run off which has led to several interventions front the Environment Agency. The southern route also represented the cheaper option produced less GHC in the construction and operation phase. Why are human health , river health and carbon concerns being ignored? The Environment Agency have been notoriously weak at enforcing river /air pollution. Eden and Borders former MP Rory Stewart has admitted cuts have led to underfunding in Eden. The Environment Agency must be asked to detail the pollution impact of a Super Farm within a floodplain and why protecting the confined cows is seen as a priority given studies confirm the No Graze system has grater GHG emissions. The GHG emmissions of the Kirkby Thore section are the highest for the entire scheme. These are for construction only. Have wider Carbon and pollution considerations been included in assessing the choice of route