Representation by County Cllr Richard Bell
- Date submitted
- 4 September 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Summary County Cllr Richard Bell, Member for the Barnard Castle West Division (ie. A local member) and Deputy Leader of Durham County Council, wishes to register his opinion that the proposed Black Route for the Cross Lanes to Rokeby section poses significant harms to our Communities and believe the Blue Route allows the aims of the dualling to be met without those harms. He contends that the decision by Highways England to prefer the Black route is flawed because it is based on a flawed analysis by Historic England of the landscape and conservation issues (see ‘’Other’’ section). He further contends that any damage to the Church Plantation at Rokeby, designated protected, is more than outweighed by the public benefits resulting from selection of the Blue route. Rokeby Junction As detailed in the ‘Other’ section, the Rokeby junction on the Black route although avoiding the listed Rokeby Park places the underpass and associated junction at 190m above sea level and requires at least 400m of break in the current road ‘tunnel’ that has developed over time with the hedging and treelines along the line of the A66. It also exposes St Mary’s Church to the West and South. This damage has not been adequately recognised. The Blue route junction although only 500m to the East is situated at 160m above sea level and its junction appears to only require 200m lead in to the South and 50m* to the North of the A66 (in the listed Church Plantation). *This could be mitigated further by reducing the width of cutting by building vertical sides with gabions. In fact, various improvements have been suggested to the Blue route to mitigate any small effects on this worthless piece of scrubland, and it is disappointing that Highways England have chosen to go to StatCon before these have been able to be fully worked up and assessed. Costs and funding The Black route junction at Rokeby requires the loss of more productive farmland and a more complex junction than the Blue alternate. The Blue route would also allow the line of the new dualling to return to the current line further to the East. Overall the landscape effect of the Black route is more damaging than the Blue. Engineering design Environment (including comments on the PEIR) Highways England’s own modelling shows a change in traffic flow into Barnard Castle in particular a marked increase (*3) in traffic from the A66 into Barnard Castle by the B6277 into Startforth, along the Sills, over the County Bridge, Bridgegate and The Bank to the Butter Market. An increase in traffic congestion in lower areas of Barnard Castle particularly The Bank and County Bridge will have economic and environmental impact. The environmental impact of increased traffic on the B6277 and the lower part of Barnard Castle have not been considered in the PEIR. In the week of COP21, it is astonishing that the 2 extra miles that the Black Rokeby Junction adds cf. the Blue, with the attendant pollution and emissions is not considered. The additional distance to residents of Barningham and Greta Bridge coming to Barnard Castle, their local market town, should not be discounted. The Black route would create more noise pollution, adversely affecting 195 homes and 8 non residential buildings compared with only 16 homes and one non-residential building for the Blue route (p.84 HE’s Statutory Consultation booklet). Traffic, transport and junctions Highways England’s own modelling shows a change in traffic flow into Barnard Castle in particular a marked increase (3) in traffic from the A66 into Barnard Castle by the B6277 into Startforth, along the Sills, over the County Bridge, Bridgegate and The Bank to the Butter Market/Market Cross. This will have negative economic and environmental air quality harms on Startforth and lower Barnard Castle: “public health issues”. As well as Public Health, Public safety is a real issue along the Sills where the road is narrow, with narrow footpaths making it hazardous and unpleasant already when traffic is heavy. You cannot push a pushchair or a wheelchair along there without going into the road at some point. There is nothing that can be done to improve this road, as it is bounded by housing and the River Tees. Schoolchilden walking into town from Startforth (which has no school) have to cross the road and the County Bridge. Extra traffic will make this situation worse. The area is already congested at peak times and significant traffic jams are likely if the Black route goes ahead. Similarly, The Bank in Barnard Castle is steep and narrow and incapable of safely absorbing extra traffic. The Black route is longer than the current route into Barnard Castle via the C165 from Rokeby, and the Blue route.Emissions! Other (such as any additional important local knowledge relevant to the scheme) It is considered that the preference shown by Highways England for the Black route is based on a flawed Historic England assessment for the reasons detailed below: 1. Historic England has failed to take into account the damage resulting from the increased traffic flows over the Grade 1 listed County Bridge, the Bank with its listed buildings like Blagraves and the Market Cross. 2. Historic England has not fully assessed the alternative (blue) route. 3. In their assessment Historic England have focussed on the (redundant) St Mary’s Church, but their opinion that the black route is preferable is flawed in that: - The Black Route interchange and underpass will dominate the western approaches to the Grade II Registered Park- because this will be built at the highest point of the route and hence very visible and noisy. - The Church’s location mimics the positioning of Mausoleums along the Appian Way and has acted as a focal point and Gateway on the westernmost part of Rokeby Park – an arcadian spectacle glimpsed through the decorative railings between the Pillars at the Abbey Bridge road junction. Thorpe Farm – also designed by Thomas Robinson (who self designed and built Rokeby Hall) acts in the same way as the easternmost Gateway. The Roman Road at both these points rises up and when approaching Rokeby, the eye is drawn along the tightly defined carriageway to the focal point of the Hall and its surrounding parkland - This concept was compromised by the construction of the Greta Bridge Bypass which reverted back to the route of the Roman Road and thus destroyed the views into the Park from the Carr of York bridge over the Greta – but the views approaching from the west remain (albeit the screen and pillars were moved back during the 1970’s works) -The complexity of the landscape design builds as you approach Rokeby culminating in the sight of the Palladian splendour of the Hall showing off the owners wealth & status but also their knowledge and appreciation of the classical world – not something encountered in the North of England at that time -It is considered that the Black Route will cause substantial harm as the interchange will spill over and away from the roman road’s ridge alignment – the A66 Corridor is framed by woodland belts running parallel to the road funnelling the views towards Galley bank and the wilderness of the upland grassland and moors beyond This is all supported by the 1770 survey completed just after the Morritts acquired the Estate from the Robinsons in 1769 and has been strengthened and preserved by subsequent generations. 4. In their assessment Historic England have focussed on the strip of trees comprising the protected woodland (Church Plantation). It is notable that this is not actual original forestry, having been felled recently (3 years ago?) , nor is there any physical connectivity by way of path or road between Hall and Church, nor is there a view between Hall and Church that would be ‘spoiled’ by the Blue route. It is contended that the Historic England assessment is based on a less than full understanding of the original design and layout. 5. While the Black route avoids incursion into the Church Plantation, siting the junction in this west location would have no ameliorating effect on Rokeby Park itself, as the C165 road would still follow its present route, channelling traffic alongside the boundary wall and separating the Plantation from the Park. 6. The Blue route that was previously promoted moved the Rokeby junction a little to the west of its current location with an underpass that pierced the Plantation at its narrowest point and then connected with the C165 several hundred meters to the north of the current junction. This would site the junction close to its lowest point, with all but the main carriageway below the current ground level and therefore not nearly as obvious as the main carriageway, thus reducing visibility and noise levels to a minimum. 7. Various improvements have been suggested to the Blue route to mitigate any small effects on this worthless piece of scrubland, and it is disappointing that Highways England have chosen to go to StatCon before these have been able to be fully worked up and assessed. The Highways England preference of the Black route is flawed in terms of process in that: Prompted by local scrutiny, agency realised some time ago that the Black route would alter the roughly balanced amounts of traffic using the Cross Lanes and Rokeby Junctions at present, to a situation where 3 to 4 times the amount of traffic will use Cross lanes. Highways England then developed alternative options, showing them to the public as recently as August 2021. It was and remains deeply disappointing that Highways England have chosen to consult on only the Black option, with the Blue not being mentioned unless you ask about it. This is a very unsatisfactory consultation process. The main harms from the proposed Black Route will be negative health effects in particular acute ones from the increased risk of accidents between vehicles and pedestrians in Startforth and lower Barnard Castle and more chronic health effects from reductions in air quality, noise and disturbance. These risks are not addressed in the PEIR. Above are the harms of the Black Route. I would however also like to challenge the alleged harm that the Blue route would pose to Rokeby Park. The proposed loss from the Blue Route junction would be a block 30-50m (East/West) by 15m (North/South) of the Church Plantation 150m West of the current C165 junction. None of the 35 listed structures within the listed extent of Rokeby Park or its environs would be directly affected by the Blue route proposal The C165 and its historic predecessors have always broken the visual connection between the walled Park and Church plantation. There is no public path between Rokeby Park and the Church Plantation, access to Rokeby Church and its environs is only from the current A66. I would contend that any harms to the broad character area and visual character around and of St Mary’s Church would be more significantly impacted by the Black Route junction. For these reasons and noting the County Council’s, Rokeby Estates, Local A66 Liaison Group’s opinions, and the opinions of the great majority of constituents who have contacted the local CCllrs about the junction, I would urge the Planning Inspectorate to mandate the Blue Route junction at Rokeby.