noblueroute

The deadline for consultation is the 6th December yet we only found out in chance that the various routes are out for consultation. Surely those people whose properties will be affected should have received postal notification. The blue route will have significant visual impact.

Local residents should have had a lot more notice of this project, the 6th of December is 10 days away, outrageous!!

Why were the people whose homes are going to be affected not informed in writing of these proposals and meetings!! DISGUSTING

One of the key elements in this decision is rejection of the red route as an options as it prevents the reopening of the railway line from Skipton to Colne. At the current time no research has been done into the economic viability of such a line and whether anyone would use it. There is a reason that the line was closed 30 years ago: NO ONE USED IT!

If at some point in the future the railway was to open, it would be necessary extend the line where it ends at Matalan to the station at Colne. This would necessitate the construction of a flyover on the valley road to take traffic over the railway line!

To reject the red route - an existing transport route - for a romanticised ideal that a railway will be constructed is hopelessly ill-informed, badly thought-out, environmentally damaging and economically short-sighted when this is also the cheapest option.

At a meeting of the Higherford Residents Committee, Councillor Joe Cooney pointed out that residents should know that this application is not simply for a road. The council has to demonstrate that this bypass will bring economic growth to the area. As a consequence the areas at both ends of the bypass are now set aside as industrial and residential building areas. THIS IS NOT JUST A ROAD, BUT A PLAN FOR INDUSTRIAL AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDING.

Jacobs, the consultants for this project, have performed a traffic survey conducted on traffic volume between J13 and J14 of the M65 and the valley road. There has been no increase in traffic going to Laneshawbridge or Skipton over the past 10 years. There has however been an increase in traffic at the end of the motorway of 13%.

This should be no surprise - this is traffic visiting the growing commercial and retail developments that have sprung up in the area (Boundary Mill, Matalan, Sainsburys etc.) Will a bypass remove this traffic? No.

In other words the consultants' own evidence suggests that this is a £35m white elephant to remove traffic that isn't there to be removed!

Currently a lot of travellers from Skipton connect to the motorway network via the M6 travelling across the country roads from Broughton. Should a bypass be opened, it is highly likely to attract a great deal more traffic as connecting to the motorway network via the M65 at Colne will become a realistic possibility for these commuters if they no longer have to negotiate the Valley Road.

Blue route seems totally appropriate, cutting through unspoilt countryside. Why not use the 'brown site' of the old railway - there is no need for that being re-opened, just a fantasy by some people wanting their own little train set. Also Blue will affect more of the types who obsess about house prices and will object for selfish reasons, no doubt.

#8: Walker -

I presume that you mean the blue route is inappropriate.  The area around Slipper Hill Reservoir is beautiful as anyone who has stood there on a cold, dry winter morning will know.  The water is a mirror to the blue sky and the mist in the lower valley sits like a blanket until the sun finally allows the rooftops to emerge from their slumber.  In the summer, there is the gentle buzz of insects, the smell of blossom in the evenings, the thrill of the lark and the leisurely amble of the hedgehog looking for its evening snack.

Does anyone who appreciates this stunning area of the countryside (labelled as 'agricultural land') want these sounds replaced by the rumble of lorries, the white noise of tyres on tarmac and the smell of diesel an petrol fumes?  This is not the hobby horse of people obesessed about house prices, but it certainly is a desire to retain the beauty of an area that draws people to Pendle for reasons other than shopping!

How taking a concrete monstrosity such as a 4 mile highway through an area of greenbelt (and close to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) can be deemed to be in line with the Pendle Council’s Core Strategy is certainly a mystery. The light pollution and noise will be extremely detrimental to the quiet enjoyment expected of the residents in Higherford and Barrowford. Furthermore, Councillor Cooney repeatedly stated on 26th November 2013 that this is “more than just a road” and the 10% cost (on >£35m plus/minus 40% BEFORE land assembly costs through Compulsory Purchase powers) payable by Pendle will have to be self-funding meaning more development close to the conurbations of Colne/Foulridge (residential and/or business parks) which will simply compound the current traffic movements. It is interesting to note that our current 2x business parks in Barrowford remain under occupied, so why do need a 3rd ? We do not want additional housing in this greenbelt location (also in breach of Pendle’s current Housing Strategy) especially as there are no local schools in close proximity coupled with poor amenities, as expected in rural settings, and the development simply cannot be within the required 400m of an existing bus stop so will probably be unsustainable for a developer if Pendle has to generate say £5m uplift on the CPO cost to pay their 10% bypass contribution. This proposal is NOT to do with safety – it is to do with congestion – a slow road is a pedestrian and cyclist safe road and we know that driving a car at certain times into any town/city will encounter problems. So after proposing a Colne bypass some 40 years ago and now having traffic count data supplied from locations strategically selected by the appointed professionals showing a 10 year increase being at a MAXIMUM of just +13%, the numbers to support a bypass simply do not stack any more than when this bypass was first declined in the 1970’s. Why does Lancashire Country Council expect the issues that we all face travelling into Colne at peak times to be any different to Burnley/Blackburn/Preston/Wigan/Bolton (and Manchester/London/etc) and potentially losing our glorious greenbelt after we were told that the office based professionals in Preston have not even walked any of the routes is an absolute tragedy. Unfortunately, it looks virtually impossible to resurrect the train line between Colne and Skipton after an absence of 30 years and the practicalities and engineering challenges of getting an electrified train line across North Valley Road (by virtue of a 40 ft bridge or a tunnel ??) will most certainly escalate the costs for the dream possibly to never become a reality (has anybody yet proved that a train line from Colne to Skipton is financially viable ??). I believe that the community should focus on improving the train line from Colne to Preston and, if the majority of the local population still seek a Colne bypass after PROPER CONSULTATION with due notice, promote the red route which has less of an impact to the population in Pendle being more of an environmental fit and less harmful to our abundant wildlife and very enjoyable canal corridor. I understand that our MP for Pendle, Andrew Stevenson, is a Patron of SELRAP – does this throw up a conflict of interest with the red route ?

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Let's waste more taxpayers money building a road that will drive away the many visitors to Barrowford who comment on how scenic and beautiful the locks and canalside are. Cretins in power just don't understand; they always take the easy option and throw money at a simple so called solution. Fact: the more roads you build, the more cars you attract and you end up with a never ending cycle. Bangkok is perhaps the world's best example of this.

No thank you

Don't take away anymore countryside, animals need it and so do we.

This road will ruin the beautiful countryside and it will not improve the traffic congestion. There needs to be an official independent traffic survey completed to prove that 70% of the traffic are heading to Bradford/Keighley NOT towards a small town like Skipton. If this is build then we will destroy listed buildings cut straight through an area of outstanding natural beauty and kill endangered species. It will not provide growth or any improve the economy you only have to look at a map to identify the best option for a new road. Carry on through laneshawbridge and join it up to a major road that can handle the traffic!

We feel that this is an important petition as a proposed ring road around this area will be detrimental to an area of natural beauty and also take away custom from the local shops and amenities. The heart of a community is vital and to keep this alive we need to have both local and passing trade from people such as ourselves who enjoy walking in this beautiful contryside.