The Longdendale Bypass (also known as the A57/A628 Mottram-in-Longdendale, Hollingworth & Tintwistle Bypass) is a £115m scheme by the Highways Agency, whose stated aim is to alleviate traffic congestion on the A57/A628/A616 trunk road. The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport, in the United Kingdom. ...

Background

The trunk road connects the M67 from Manchester to the M1 in South Yorkshire. It is a single carriageway road through the villages of Mottram in Longdendale, Hollingworth and Tintwistle and through the Peak District National Park and carries a high proportion of heavy goods vehicles. Because of the nature of the route and the high volume of traffic, there are problems with noise and pollution, as well as other factors which impact upon the lives of local people. The accident rate at Tintwistle is more than twice the national average. M67 refers to: Open Cluster M67, an astronomical object. ... The City of Manchester is a major city and metropolitan borough in the North of England, historically notable for its central role in the Industrial Revolution. ... M1 can mean the following: M1 Garand, a US battle rifle circa WWII. M1 Carbine, a US carbine circa WWII. M1 Abrams, a US Main Battle Tank. ... South Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber Government Office Region of England, in the United Kingdom. ... Mottram in Longdendale is a village in the Longdendale part of the metropolitan borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, near Broadbottom and Hattersley, in the north west of England. ... Hollingworth is a village in England, located in the Metropolitan borough of Tameside about twelve miles east of Manchester and near to Glossop and Stalybridge. ... Tintwistle is village and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. ... The Peak District National Park is a national park in the north of England. ... Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) is a generic and formal designation in British English for classification of large road vehicles intended to carry goods. ...

History & Progress

Plans for a bypass date back at least 20 years, but the scheme found favour when it was restored to the then Conservative government's road programme in 1989. Following a public consultation process, a preferred route was selected in October 1993. After subsequent reviews of the entireroad building programme by the government, work was suspended in 1996. In July 1998 the new Labour government published the results of its own review in the “A New Deal for Trunk Roads” document^[1] and included the bypass as a scheme to be progressed through the preparatory stages. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative & Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), and the largest in terms of public membership. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the main democratic socialist [1] political party in the United Kingdom. ...

In November 2002, the Highways Agency submitted a report to the Regional Planning bodies (North West, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside). In this submission, they formed the conclusion that there were no realistic alternatives to a bypass of the villages to solve the problems that existed. Subsequently, in April 2003 the bypass entered the Targetted Programme of Improvements (TPI).^[2]

The Highways Agency appointed Mowlem PLC under their Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) initiative, in order to take the scheme forward. The ECI allows for detailed planning work to be carried out while the scheme is taken through the statutory procedures. Mowlem is one of the UKs largest construction and engineering companies. ...

On 31st January 2006 The Secretary of State for Transport published formal proposals in the form of Draft Orders. The published Orders included proposals to: The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. ...

• Bypass sections of the A57 and A628 passing through the villages of Mottram, Hollingworth and Tintwistle within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside and the County of Derbyshire. The bypassed sections are between the M67 eastern Terminal Roundabout at Hattersley and Townhead Farm on the east side of Tintwistle over a distance of approximately 5 kilometres [Draft Line Order];
• Provide route restraint measures on the bypass and at Flouch;
• Provide for a length of the A57 and the A628 that is to be superseded by the bypass, to cease to be a trunk road [Draft Detrunking Order];
• Provide for the stopping up of existing highways and private means of access, to improve and alter existing highways and to construct new highways and accesses that may be necessary for the construction of the new bypass and the route restraint measures at Flouch [Draft Side Roads Orders];
• Compulsorily purchase land and rights required for the construction of the scheme including essential mitigation works [Draft Compulsory Purchase Order].

A Freedom of Information request in May 2006 led to the Highways Agency releasing details of all properties they had purchased over the past 30 years in connection with the scheme.^{[3] [4]} A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, and boasts some of Englands most attractive scenery. ... Location within the British Isles Hattersley is an area of Greater Manchester, England, east of Hyde and west of Mottram in Longdendale, in the borough of Tameside. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... In law, eminent domain is the power of the state to appropriate private property for its own use without the owners consent. ...

The public and other interested organisations were allowed a period of 13 weeks until 5th May 2006 to express their support, comment on, or object to the proposals. According to figures released in the press by the Highways Agency, as of July 2006, 1400 people wrote formal letters of objection to the scheme, with 1000 writing in favour of it.^[5]

Although the formal consultation period has ended, it is still possible to write in to express opposition or support for the scheme until the planned Public Inquiry takes place (May 2007). In the politics and government of Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, a public inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by the government. ...

Following the large number of objections, and because the Longdendale bypass is a scheme that the government permits to be considered at a regional level, the North West Regional Assembly presented advice to Ministers in January 2006 and provided a revised sequencing of priority schemes in June 2006. On 6th July 2006 The Secretary of State for Transport responded to this advice^[6] and confirmed that funding provision could be made for the Longdendale bypass beyond 2010/11^[7]. The change to the proposed timing of construction and funding for the project will require a review of the published Environmental Statement and its re publication together with the associated Draft Orders. This has meant that the Public Inquiry will have to be delayed to undertake these necessary statutory processes. The Public Inquiry is currently planned to start in May 2007. Regional Assembly is the name which has been adopted by the English bodies established as regional chambers under the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 and of the elected London Assembly. ...

The Route

The scheme envisages a new dual carriageway, leaving the M67 terminal roundabout in a northeasterly direction, passing under the A6018 Roe Cross Road, Old Road and Old Hall Lane in a tunnel some 120 metres north of the point where those roads converge. This tunnel would be about 170 metres long.

To the east of this area the route continues to a roundabout which provides for a link road down to the A57 Mottram Moor. A proposed local authority road ('Glossop Spur') would continue this link to the A57 at Woolley Bridge. To the east of the roundabout, the Preferred Route would proceed in a northeasterly direction, then curving southeasterly to join the existing A628 east of Tintwistle near Townhead Farm. The A57 is a major road in England. ...

Traffic figures

Whilst supporters of the scheme argue for the bypass on the basis that it will relieve the three villages of traffic congestion, the Highways Agencies own figures do not fully support this contention^[8] . In the Evironmental Statement produced by the Highways Agency, the 'Predicted Traffic Figures' support the following largely temporary reductions in traffic by 2010:

• a 100% permanent reduction along the westbound section of the A57 after the junction with the A6018 - this is because this section of road will be blocked and made into a one-way street, making it impossible to access the A628.
• a 13% reduction in traffic along Market Street (A628), Hollingworth (decreasing to 5% by 2025).
• an 8% reduction in traffic along Mottram Moor (A57) (decreasing to 4% by 2025).

All other routes show a marked increase in traffic, both immediately and over time:

• Brookfield (A57) - an 18% increase by 2010 (rising to 21% by 2025).
• M67 - a 17% increase by 2010 (rising to 24% by 2025).
• Back Moor (A6018) - a 9% increase by 2010 (rising to 23% by 2025).
• Ashworth Lane (B6174) - a 6% increase by 2010 (rising to 36% by 2025).
• Roe Cross Road (A6018) - a 6% increase by 2010 (rising to 36% by 2025).

Proponents and Opponents

Proponents include the State, in the form of the Highways Agency and Department for Transport. Two Labour MPs whose constituencies form part of the route, Tom Levitt and James Purnell, also back the scheme, and they are joined by the Labour-controlled local authority Tameside and Longdendale Councillors, especially the Executive Leader of Tameside, Roy Oldham. A local pro-bypass group, the Longdendale Siege Committee are also supporters for the scheme, they handed a petition of 9,000 signatures to Downing Street on 13th February 2003 ^[9] The Bypass is also officially supported by AGMA, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities ^[10]. In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the transport network. ... Tom Levitt (born 10 April 1954) is a British politician, and Labour member of Parliament for High Peak. ... James Mark Dakin Purnell (born 2 March 1970, London) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in north west England. ... The view westward down Longdendale from above the Woodhead Tunnel, showing the Longdendale Trail (left) and A628 Woodhead Pass road. ... Roy Oldham, leader of Tameside Council Samuel Roy Oldham, CBE (born 27 April 1934) the son of John and Mary Oldham (nee Bailey) has been the leader of Tameside Council since 1980. ...

Opponents and objectors include the Peak District National Park Authority, English Nature, the Countryside Agency, the Environment Agency, and the National Trust, as well as the Ramblers Association and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). The local Primary Care Trust(ref needed). Local campaigning groups, Save Swallows Wood, Alternative Proposals for Transport and Woodhead Against Increased Traffic (WAIT), have lead a grass roots campaign to oppose the scheme. Vivienne Westwood, who grew up in Tintwistle, has also been vocal in her opposition to the bypass.^[11] English Nature is the United Kingdom Government Agency that promotes the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England. ... The Countryside Agency in England is a statutory body with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. ... (see also the List of environmental organizations) The Environment Agency (Welsh: Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd) of England and Wales was created by the Environment Act 1995, along with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... The Ramblers Association is the largest organisation in the British Isles to look after the interests of walkers (or ramblers) in Britain. ... The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE, formerly Council for the Preservation of Rural England ) is a voluntary anti-urbanist, pro-nature organisation. ... Many services in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom are provided by NHS Trusts. ... Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE (born Vivienne Isabel Swire in Tintwistle, Cheshire, England on 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer largely responsible for modern punk and new wave fashions. ...

Alternative measures

The proponents and supporters of the bypass argue that the scheme has no alternative.^[12] Despite the reasons the supporters give for constructing the bypass, there appear to be no proposals by either the Highways Agency or the local authority to implement interim measures to alleviate congestion in the meantime.

Opponents of the scheme support the 'Way to Go' initiative put forward by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), which is pressing Councillors, MPs, and the Peak District National Park to reject the bypass scheme and consider instead a number of measures designed to alleviate the traffic problems and generally improve local transport without causing damage to the environment.^[13]

This alternative approach calls for:

• Weight restrictions on the A57/628, forcing heavy goods traffic onto the existing M1/M62 motorway network and away from the Peak District National Park
• Traffic calming in the villages on the A628 and A57 to prevent 'rat running'.
• A ‘Streets for People’ programme in all residential areas to encourage walking and cycling.
• Continental-style safe routes to school.
• Travel-to-work plans.
• Integrated bus and train services throughout the Peak District and improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Discount travel by public transport.
• Improved public transport links and safe cycle routes to local railway stations.
• A new railway station at Gamesley and improved services at existing stations.

Opponents of the scheme also advocate the 'Translink' proposal, which envisages enabling (through the reopening of the Woodhead Tunnel) direct rail links between Glossop and Sheffield. Gamesley is a village in Derbyshire, England, west of Glossop and north of New Mills. ... The western portals of the Woodhead Tunnels in 2004, from the former Woodhead Station. ... Location within the British Isles Glossop (Grid reference SK0393) is a town of approximately 16,500 in the High Peak of Derbyshire, England, about 13 miles east of Manchester. ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ...

References

1. ^ "A new deal for trunk roads in England: Understanding the new approach", Department for Transport website
2. ^ "Targeted Programme of Improvements", Highways Agency website
3. ^ "A57/A628 Mottram Tintwistle Bypass - Properties Purchased by the HA", Highways Agency, 31 May 2006
4. ^ "A57/A628 Mottram Tintwistle Bypass - Properties Purchased by the HA", Highways Agency, 14 August 2006
5. ^ "Inquiry for controversial bypass", BBC, 1 June 2006
6. ^ "Letter to the North West Regional Assembly and Regional Development Agency", Secretary of State for Transport, 6 July 2006
7. ^ "Annex B: Indicative list of schemes from 2009/10 to 2015/16", Secretary of State for Transport, 6 July 2006
8. ^ "Predicted Traffic Flows With and Without the A57/A628 Bypass", Route Restraint Environmental Statement, Vol 3-set02, Figure 1-5 (opens PDF)
9. ^ http://www.demanuele.nildram.co.uk/glossopspur/downloads/levittwebpage.pdf
10. ^ http://www.agma.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/stream/asset/?asset_id=1149007
11. ^ "Vivienne Westwood Supports our Campaign!", Campaign to Save Swallows Wood website, 24 May 2006
12. ^ "Suggested Alternative Solutions?", Longdendale Siege Committee website
13. ^ "What are the alternatives?", Campaign to Save Swallows Wood

May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External Links

• Highways Agency website official information about the scheme
• Save Swallows Wood a local group opposing the scheme
• Woodhead Against Increased Traffic another local group opposing the scheme
• Stop Mottram Bypass another website opposing the scheme
• Mottram Residents Against the Bypass yet another website opposing the scheme
• Longdendale Bypass Supporters website of the Longdendale Siege Committee - a local group in favour of the scheme