Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
Graham, Tom and Ian
Your Lib Dem team for Cheadle West & Gatley Learn more
What were the local issues four decades ago?
Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
What were the local issues four decades ago?
Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road on track for 2017
by Lib Dem team on 4 October, 2013
On Tuesday I presented the latest reports on the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road to Stockport Council Executive, and all were approved.
I reported back on the consultation over the road. We recognise that, although there is a very strong majority of people in favour of the relief road, there is also a smaller number who are concerned that they will be directly and adversely affected by it, and all their concerns deserve full consideration.
Over 5,000 people responded to this phase two survey with a clear majority agreeing that we are addressing the ecological, landscaping, visual and noise impacts of the road. That isn’t just an overall figure – when broken down by community, there’s agreement within each local area as well. Residents who live within 500m of the scheme are – as we would expect – more concerned than others. Even among this group, more agree than disagree that we are addressing all those major concerns.
We gave the go-ahead for a planning application to be submitted for the scheme.
We agreed on the appointment of a contractor for the scheme. The appointment does not pre-judge any future decisions, such as the planning application, but having a contractor in place at this point is good practice.
Finally, the Executive agreed to the protection of the alignments from the A6 to the M60 and Poynton by-pass. It does not give any commitment to progressing those schemes at this stage, but it is appropriate to ensure those options remain open.
On the same day, we received the official letter from the Government confirming the funding of the project, including the road, cycle paths and all the associated measures around landscaping, ecology, noise reduction and visual issues.
The relief road will take traffic away from the local roads running through our villages and remains on course to open in 2017, with the planning application being the next stage.
10 Comments
Have they taken account of all the new houses Cheshire East Council are going to build next to the A34
No, because those new houses haven’t been agreed or approved yet.
It’ll be the other way around – at the time that Cheshire East come to turn their Handforth development from a proposal to something that’s going to happen, they’ll have to show what they’re going to do to prevent the development causing too many problems on the road network.
Iain regarding the proposed houses on the A34, I’ll put money on it, that these will be build, along with the 1000 at the old BAE site + the 200+ at Barnes Hospital.
The link road will channel even more traffic onto the A34 (along with the developments I’ve mentioned)so your constituents in Cheadle and Gateley will continue to suffer from the gridlock at the Gateley/Cheadle/A34 Junction
I don’t know if they’ll be built or not but, as with any development the applicants will have to show how they’re going to mitigate the effects of additional traffic as part of the planning application.
Iain – If that was the case in the real world of planning reality, then many of the recent developments on the A34 would not have taken place, as they have clearly failed to mitigate against additional traffic. As will the new developments, but once they are build they can’t be unbuilt.
By supporting these developments and the by =pass you are failing your constituents
I’m happy to let residents decide that, David.
I’ve not seen Handforth plans to even have an informed discussion about supporting them or otherwise, and I’ve made clear that I want to see mitigation.
Most residents I’ve spoken to support the development of Barnes Hospital, to save an iconic building, and most also support the relief road, to take traffic out of our village centres.
If even minimal development is approved the consequences for A34 congestion will increase – it is the main artery to/from Manchester from the South. The proposed relief road is not the major problem but the political pressures to utilise that road are. The A34 itself needs relieving of through traffic as it passes through Cheadle/Gatley. What plans are in place?
Iain I don’t follow part of your response. You responded by writing ‘ I’m happy to let residents decide that’
Sorry decide what?
Decide through the ballot box whether they think I’ve got it right or not.
You asked about plans for the A34. As I’ve written before, it’s not an easy one. There are some improvements as part of the relief road (mainly to the Stanley Green roundabout).
However, I’m firmly of the view that the A34 is physically constrained and there’s no easy way to sort it out. There are two options: more road or less traffic.
I think reducing the traffic, by getting more people walking and cycling for shorter journeys and using public transport for longer journeys is the most cost-effective and realistic option.
We don’t need to get everyone to switch – far from it. If just one in five did then it would make a massive difference to the traffic on the road.
Iain – I understand what you meant now.
As a Cllr for Gateley and Cheadle you should know that all the ‘A34 Improvements’ and subsequent developments have had a terrible effect on your constituents.
Further developments that will channel even more traffic this way can only make things worse. More roads = more traffic. Always has done and always will do.
And furthermore, if you keep rubber stamping developments, things will get worse not better.
You state that developments have to show how they will mitigate for increased traffic. How much evidence do you need to see to realise that whilst that may be the case on paper, it isn’t the case in reality