Representation by Kirkby Thore Parish Council (Kirkby Thore Parish Council)
- Date submitted
- 3 September 2022
- Submitted by
- Parish councils
Kirkby Thore Parish Council [KTPC] made detailed submissions about potential impacts of the road design during both A66 consultations. Some were acknowledged, but others have been dismissed, and others are not mentioned in the consultation report. We understood National Highways had accepted some other suggestions, but these do not appear on the current detailed design. Anecdotally we understand this was due to landowner objections, which throughout the consultations appear to have been given greater weight than the acknowledged adverse effects the design will have on the village. We are particularly concerned about the 70 households on Sanderson’s Croft where many vulnerable and disadvantaged families live. Briefly, main points: 1) Incomplete PEIR and other documentation during the formal consultations, so the effects of the different route options and designs on our local community and the environment could not be adequately considered or informed comment made. We were not included in the separate consultation on walking, cycling, landform and compounds. 2) KTPCs repeated offers to work on the detailed proposals for road design visual impact, environmental, and recreation impacts were not accepted. In particular, KTPC’s proposals in areas which are in closest proximity to the village were not taken on board. 3) The new road alignment means the village will be closely surrounded on three sides by a dual carriageway that carries very significant HGV traffic (27%). Whilst the current design is an improvement, there remain significant adverse impacts on a large part of the population and the environment which are not adequately mitigated. 4) In particular, the design of the southern part of the main northern village junction immediately adjacent to Sanderson’s Croft could be changed to a motorway style junction without tightly curving slip roads. This junction is extremely close to a significant proportion of the population and a change could reduce impacts. The current compact junction and overbridge design will require rapid deceleration from 120kmh to 30kmh plus equal acceleration by the very large number of HGVs accessing the Gypsum works, with associated increased noise, pollution and headlight sweep. 5) KTPCs suggestions to provide additional woodland/scrub planting and other mitigation instead of hedges and reversion to agricultural use, would reduce the impacts of the road and associated infrastructure on residents; particularly in the vicinity of the school, Dunfell View, Sanderson’s Croft, and where the road crosses open fields below Sleastonhowe across high, open valley slopes facing the east side of the village (where the side of the road facing the village is at grade). The slip roads and overbridge immediately adjacent to Sanderson’s Croft are also at grade and the proposed mitigation is not considered sufficient.. 6) North-west of the village at Whinthorn where the road turns towards the south, it runs along the crest of a drumlin and is in significant cut. If the line were to be moved slightly north-east, the lower natural ground level would reduce the need for a cut and sit far more comformably within the landscape topography thus saving embedded carbon. 7) The many severed footpaths all have current proposals for crossing the new road and a continuous cycle way is provided East West past Kirkby Thore. This is good, but woodland planting along the edge of the A66 would make these footpaths pleasanter to use.