Road threat to Peak District National Park

6 December 2002

All eyes will be on the Peak Park Transport Forum1 on the 12th December when it meets to decide whether to endorse damaging road development2 in the Peak District National Park.  The Highways Agency’s unpublished proposals for the cross-pennine A628 Woodhead Pass include a bypass for the villages of Mottram, Hollingworth and Tintwistle, junction upgrading and a climbing lane through unspoilt moorland.

The Council for National Park’s3 Deputy Director Ruth Chambers said: “The Highways Agency’s proposals for the A628 would seriously damage the Park’s landscape and wildlife and should be turned down unless they meet a national need and are without alternative.

“The fact that the Highways Agency has rejected a cut-and-cover tunnel, which would have protected the National Park, and has failed to prove that these proposals will not lead to more traffic along this sensitive route, is further reason for the Peak Park Transport Forum to reject this scheme 4”.

Contact: Ruth Chambers on 020 7924 4077 ext. 222

Notes to editors

1.                  The Peak Park Transport Forum is made up of local authorities, the Peak District National Park Authority, the Countryside Agency, English Nature and various public transport bodies.

2.                  The A628 cuts through the northern section of the Peak District National Park.  Unpublished proposals contain plans for a series of junction upgrades along the Woodhead Road, Holme Moss, Salters Brook and Windle Edge, all of which would damage land within the National Park; a climbing lane on the approach to the Woodhead summit; bend straightening between Tintwistle and the A6024; a bypass road for the villages of Mottram, Hollingworth and Tintwistle.  The cut and cover tunnel which was originally proposed in order to mitigate the severe adverse landscape impacts on the Langsett Moors does not now feature in the Highways Agency’s proposals for the A628.

3.                  The Council for National Parks (CNP) is the national charity that works to protect and enhance the National Parks of England and Wales, and areas that merit National Park status, and promote understanding and quiet enjoyment of them for the benefit of all.

4.                The Highways Agency claims that various safety improvements along the A628, together with the junction restraint proposals, will manage the levels of traffic to limit the amount drawn into the corridor from other routes.  However, this claim is as yet unproven.

For press queries please contact:
Ruth Chambers, Head of Policy on
020 7924 4077 ext. 222