Representation by Paul Caygill
- Date submitted
- 4 September 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object to the A66 application for a DCO. I am concerned about the impact of this project on the River Eden and share the view of the Eden River Trust that ther route selected in detrimental to the river Eden. The introduction of a major trunk road into the floodplain will inevitably cause harm and no level of mitigation can prevent this. The A66 already contribute to run off which pollutes the river and adds micro plastics mostly from tyre. How does Highways say they will mitigate this in high flood events such as those experienced by Cumbria. The river should not be exposed to more pollution. The Eden flow into the Solway and contributes to pollution in the Irish Sea. We are already the subject of criticism from our French neighbours for water pollution. We cannot risk the Eden River, an SAC , becoming more polluted. The amount of agricultural land that will be eradicated by this project removes the availability of agricultural land to act of flood storage. The more land that is taken to build over and sustain junctions/slip roads and mitigation the less is available for future mitigation. Eden Rivers Trust project to rewiggle a section of the Flood Plain is a example. Is land is taken from local farmers they are less likely to make land available for projects that benefit all of us in terms of river health and flood mitigation. Eden River Trusts objections should have been listened to. Natural England must be asked to comment on how the loss of land to this project could impact on river health and flood management.