New Roads Planned In England
Plans for over £5 million of new road schemes have been released by the DETR (Department of Environment, Transport & Regions). These schemes are being proposed by Local Authorities although those that go ahead will receive central Government funding.
Each scheme has had a very brief study of likely impacts and a document showing these has come the way of some EF!ers. The table below is a brief summary of the schemes and their impacts, where details are available. Impact assessment considers effects to 'protected' wildlife or wildlife sites, 'heritage' (meaning Scheduled Ancient Monuments or listed buildings), plus calculated increases in local pollution to air and water. Some schemes will be familiar (see Weymouth and Salisbury bypasses). Some are merely expensive junction improvements, others are linked to urban regeneration plans and most include measures for pedestrians and cyclists (presumably to make them attractive to environmentalists).
| Local authority | Scheme | Details |
| Barnsley | Cudworth bypass | Local bypass linked to local regeneration |
| Birmingham | Northfield regeneration scheme | Single carriageway, part of regeneration plan |
| Birmingham | Selly Oak Access Road | No details |
| Bristol | A4 Bath Road-Callington | £5 million scheme, affects wildlife |
| Bucks | A418 (Wing Bypass) | No details |
| Cornwall | A39 Camelford bypass | Access to new employment area, bridges river Camel, affects wildlife and historic sites |
| Cheshire | A500-A534 Link | Greenfield site zoned for development |
| Cheshire | A34 Alderley Edge Bypass | 5 km village bypass |
| Cumbria | Carlisle NorthernDevelopment Route | 8km link road, affects River Eden and settings of Hadrian's Wall |
| Darlington | Eastern Transport Corridor | Possible affects on wildlife and water quality |
| Derbyshire | Markham Employment Zone | No details |
| Derbyshire | A6096 Ilkestone Awsworth Link | No details |
| Devon | Barnstaple Western Bypass | Western bypass disturbance to wildlife likely |
| Dorset | Weymouth Relief Road | 7.5km road; impacts on wildlife and landscape. Basically, the scheme much-challenged by locals in the 1990s |
| Durham | A688 Wheatly Hill-Bowburn | Some impact on wildlife and landscape |
| Durham | A167 Chilton bypass | 2km bypass |
| Durham | East Durham Link Road | Access to proposed industrial site, impact on wildlife and landscape |
| Durham | A689 Sedgefield - Wynard | Improvements to existing road |
| East Sussex | Newhaven Port Access | No details |
| Essex | Canvey Island Transport Project | No details |
| Gloucestershire | Eastern Spine Road | Significant impact on wildlife and heritage sites |
| Kent | East Kent Access 1 & 2 | Impact on wildlife and ancient sites |
| Lancashire | M6 Heysham Link | Affects wildlife and landscape |
| Leeds | East Leeds Link Road | Local noise and landscape impact likely |
| Leeds | Inner Ring Road, Stage 7 | Increases noise for local houses |
| Leicestershire | Earl Shilton bypass | Affects local wildlife and landscape |
| Leicestershire | A607 Rearsby bypass | Affects wildlife, archaeology and water quality; cuts through floodplain. |
| Lincolnshire | A52 Grantham east-west improvement | No details |
| Lincolnshire | A158/C541 Coastal Access | No details |
| Lincolnshire | A1073 Spalding-Eye Improvement | Some impact on wildlife and archaeology |
| Liverpool City | Hall Lane Area lmprovement | Part of local regeneration cheme |
| Luton | East Luton Corridor (Sorth) | To encourage local development |
| Medway | A228 Main Road-Ropers Lane Phase 1 | No details |
| Medway | Ropers Lane-Isle of Grain Phase 2 | No details |
| Middlesborough | East Middlesborough Transport Corridor | No details |
| Milton Keynes | Bletchley Link | Some impact on townscape |
| Norfolk | Nar Ouse Regeneration | New road through brownfield site |
| Norfolk | Great Yarmouth A47/A149 Link | Affects Broads wildlife and landscape |
| Newcastle | New Tyne Crossing | No details |
| Newcastle | Scotswood Road Improvement | 2.8km dual carriageway, increases air pollution |
| North Tyneside | A1056 Northern Gateway, Stages 2 & 3 | Linked to regeneration project, removes trees |
| Poole | Poole Bridge Regeneration Initiative | No details |
| Reading | A33 interchanges | Local junction improvements |
| Rotherham | A631 West Bawtry Road Improvement | Affects local wildlife and heritage site |
| Rutland | Oakham bypass | No details |
| Salford | A57 Cadishead Way | Bypass on brownfield site |
| Sandwell | Cradley Heath Town Centre Strategy | On Fox Street, affects wildlife and heritage sites |
| Sandwell | Owen Street Level crossing | Increases noise and pollution for some houses |
| Sheffield | Inner Relief Road stages 2 & 3 | 3km route near River Don |
| Somerset | North west Taunton Package | Affects air quality and local wildlife |
| Staffordshire | Biddulph Inner bypass | 1.7km bypass to relieve town centre |
| Staffordshire | Rugeley bypass | 3km bypass |
| Stoke on Trent | Hanley - Bentilee Link | Affects landscape |
| Stoke on Trent | City Centre Link | No details |
| Suffolk | South Lowestoft Relief Road | 2.6 km route |
| Suffolk | A134 Sudbury bypass | No details |
| Sunderland | Southern radial route | May affect wildlife and heritage |
| Sunderland | Central route | 4.6km bypass |
| Sunderland | Hetton bypass | No details |
| Sunderland | Doxford Park- Ryhope Link | No details |
| Surrey | Kiln Lane Link, Epsom | Likely wildlife and landscape impacts |
| Tameside | Glossop Spur | Affects wildlife, landscape and heritage |
| Thurrock | West Thurrock Regeneration Road | Brownfield site regeneration |
| Wakefield | Hemsworth - A1 Link | Single carriageway in open countryside |
| Wakefield | Glasshoughton Coalfields Link | Part of local regeneraton scheme |
| Walsall | Town Centre package | Changes to existing junction |
| Warrington | Bridgefoot Environmental Enhancement | Affects landscape, wildlife and water quality |
| Warrington | Manchester Ship Canal crossing | No details |
| Warwickshire | Barford bypass | Loss of woodland, increased note locally |
| Warwickshire | Rugby western relief road | No details |
| West Sussex | A24 Horsham - Capel Improvement | No details |
| Wigan | Integrated transport scheme | No details |
| Wiltshire | Salisbury Transport Study Package | Affects landscape setting of Salisbury, wildlife and a hillfort. Route similar to part of "scrapped" Salisbury bypass |
| Wiltshire | Western Wiltshire Sustainable Transport Package | Westbury eastern bypass and bypass on A350 Semmington to Berryfield; affects landscape, wildlife and local heritage |
| Worcestershire | Wyre Piddle bypass | 7km road; affects local heritage |
If you want a copy of the summary sheet for a scheme mentioned above, please send an SAE c/o Norfolk EF!, although much better details will be available, on request, from the planners in the relevant local authority (county or district or borough council). Details will be in the Local Transport Plan, or in regeneration proposals.
The writing's on the wall