Chester Rd Planning Application Withdrawn
Hazel Grove Ward Liberal Democrats
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Roads Investment Big Bang
Remembrance done differently this year.
Chester Rd Planning Application Withdrawn
Roads Investment Big Bang
Remembrance done differently this year.
A6 to Bredbury: Labour Decide not to Decide
by jontwigge on 19 November, 2017
Like the community, the minority ruling Labour Cabinet are split on the road from the A6 to Bredbury.
Strong feelings and arguments on both sides were clear at a recent Cabinet meeting that was supposed to decide whether to proceed with applications for funding for a full business case for the road.
A6 to Bredbury Proposed RouteIn simple terms the main arguments for and against the road are…
For:
- Alleviation of current congestion especially in Hazel Grove, Bredbury and Stockport itself.
- The coming additional journeys from new houses and businesses currently being built to the south of Stockport and proposed under GMSF
- Need to support economic growth
Against:
- Environmental damage, especially to sensitive and cherished areas of Stockport including the Goyt valley
- Induced additional traffic from a new road; encouraging ever more journeys and leading to a back-to-square-one result in terms of congestion in a few short years
- Lack of information on the long term impact of the road across the whole borough
The decision of whether to proceed with applications for funding to complete a full business case has been passed to the full council meeting of 63 councillors from across all areas of Stockport. That decision will not decide the final fate of this road but a decision not to proceed would at least halt plans for a significant number of years.
“The need to relieve congestion in Hazel Grove is without any doubt a major concern – we are being suffocated by fumes and strangled by the volume of traffic. It is only going to get worse as thousands of new homes are built in Stockport and to our south.
“But, the environmental argument that we cannot simply keep building new roads and completely filling them with even more cars is unquestionable too.
“We should only build this road if we have all the evidence and we make absolutely sure that it will play a strategic role in a truly sustainable multi modal (including trains, buses, taxis, cycling and walking) transport infrastructure across the whole of Greater Manchester that moves far more toward public transport and a shared vehicle basis,” said Cllr Jon Twigge.
5 Comments
Build this road now. It is a wars of time building MARR if you don’t. Traffic will simply go through Hazel Grove to gain access to it as there is no other way they can go.
Hi Ronald,
you sum up the problem pretty well.
Jon
I to oppose the link road to Bredbury. when the airport link road opens the traffic through Hazel Grove will reduce significantly. But Hazel Grove will then be a viable shopping area again able to attract customers to the area for the shops and businesses. Avoiding becoming a ghost town as so often happens when bypasses are constructed.
Hi Keith,
the road to the airport is only predicted to reduce traffic through Hazel Grove by 10 percent. And that will probably come back soon after. It is the road to Bredbury that will really reduce traffic by 25 percent on the A6 in general – and perhaps through the centre by even more – especially big through traffic (it will either go to the Airport, Bredbury or will go round Hazel Grove and rejoin back at Sainsbury). From that perspective I am excited the new road really would allow us to regenerate the centre.
My view is that if we did build the Bredbury road it is VITAL we protect the new road capacity for a much much better public transport system (bus lanes etc) as well as for the cars.
jon
I am in favour of the remaining bypass being built. The good news in the gap between developments is we will get to see the difference the first part makes before the second part gets built.