New road branded dangerous and ugly by Paul Bull

from This is Cirencester

{short description of image}

The A417 at Crickley Hill

A PLANNED road scheme aiming to fill the Cotswolds' notorious 'missing link' would be a major environmental disaster. That is the verdict of planning expert Chris Vickery, who believes building the 180 degree 'super highway' on the A417 would be both dangerous and an eyesore. And he has likened the scheme to the notorious Twyford Down road project in Hampshire, which sparked massive protests and civil unrest. The dramatic A417 loop proposal was revealed by the Highways Agency (HA), which has been looking at a number of options over several years. But Mr Vickery, who is Cotswold District Council's chief forward planning officer, believes it is short-sighted and ill-conceived. He said: "It would be an environmental disaster. That area is one of the finest parts of the Cotswolds AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). "Anyone who looks at the plans will also see just how dangerous it is - I've never seen anything like it." The three-mile stretch of road between Nettleton Bottom and the Brockworth Bypass is the only piece of single carriageway on a major route between Edinburgh and Italy. It is notorious for accidents and the Air Balloon roundabout at the top of Crickley Hill is a rush hour bottleneck.

{short description of image}

This map shows the route the loop would take

Local residents have been campaigning for years for the HA to take action and they, along with CDC planners, favour a 2.8km twin-bore tunnel. They say the tunnel would be safer and have less of an impact on the environment. But the HA has ruled the scheme out, claiming it is too expensive. Mr Vickery disagrees and added: "When you work out the cost of a road scheme, you also have to weigh into the equation the impact in the landscape. "The loop would cost far more than the tunnel when you look at it in those terms." Mr Vickery also believes the loop, which cuts across country and turns at Shab Hill, is dangerous. He said building the loop on a gradient of between seven and 8.5 percent is pushing recommended engineering levels to the limit.

{short description of image}

Villagers and the council favour a tunnel. Here's the route it would take.

His views were echoed by Michael Cuttell, chairman of the Missing Link Action Group, which is campaigning for the tunnel. He said: "The scheme reveals a devastating construction programme within one of the most sensitive areas of the Cotswold AONB. "We fear it will desecrate this exceptional section of the Cotswold escarpment. The majority of people would prefer the road to stay as it is than accept option four (loop), subject, of course, to the interim safety improvements at the Birdlip junction." The Highways Agency may have to pay out millions in compensation if the loop scheme goes ahead as it would mean the demolition of the popular Air Balloon pub. The scheme would also run close to scheduled ancient monuments. The plans, with relevant comments, will eventually be passed on for ministerial consideration. A HA spokesman said: "We're obviously still receiving views on all the options and they will be taken on board when the minister considers his final decision on it." Besides the tunnel and loop, the other options were a two-level junction at the Air Balloon roundabout, where vehicles would leave and join via slip roads, and a dual carriageway with traffic lights at the roundabout.

{short description of image}

Lobby group Transport 2000 has produced this graphic showing what the loop could look like.

CAMPAIGN group Transport 2000 is strongly against the new plans and Elkstone-based member Christine Shine has even produced her own pictorial version of how the scheme would look. She said: "Artists' impressions of road schemes never show them with traffic and it's the traffic that causes the pollutions of noise, light and visual impact - more so than the tarmac. "We're not against the tunnel but we (Transport 2000) feel the road should be left as it is, with the exception of low key safety measures at Birdlip and Nettleton." Transport 2000 is an independent environmental organisation, which campaigns for sustainable transport policies.

{short description of image}

Twyford Down. Planners agree that never again should a road have such environmental impact

CHRIS Vickery has highlighted two road schemes, which he says prove a tunnel is the right option for the 'missing link'. The first is the notorious Twyford Down scheme in Hampshire, which had a devastating effect on the environment and was slated by campaigners and engineers alike. The other is the world's longest road tunnel at Laerdal in Norway, which runs for 15 miles through mountain terrain and provides a lifeline for a town similar in size to Cirencester. Cotswold District Council's chief forward planning officer Chris Vickery said: "They say that Twyford Down should never be emulated, but the 180 degree loop would be a huge scar on the landscape. "In contrast, tunnels are the safest form of road - there hasn't been a single accident in a British road tunnel since 1970." Twyford Down, on the M3, near Winchester, has been referred to as the "ugliest road cutting in southern England". Large numbers of protesters descended on the area and some even camped out to express their anger at the scheme. Mr Vickery believes the A417 loop would be similar in terms of its impact on the environment. Meanwhile, the Laerdal Tunnel has an impressive safety record and provides the only means Laerdal residents have of reaching the rest of Norway. It is seen as a role model for tunnel designers worldwide and takes drivers through the mountains rather than around them - lessening the effects on the surrounding landscape. Mr Vickery says the Cotswolds tunnel scheme would also be safer than most other tunnels because it is twin-bore. Each carriageway would have its own tunnel - therefore ruling out the risk of head-on collisions.

{short description of image}

The Laerdal Tunnel in Norway

{short description of image}

The Air Balloon pub would be demolished if the loop plan gets the go-ahead

THE Highways Agency may face a hefty compensation bill if it demolishes the popular Air Balloon pub as part of the new road plans. But the Laurel Pub Company, which owns the historic inn, says it won't jump to conclusions. The 18th century pub, which underwent a massive refurbishment two years ago following a fire, will be bulldozed if the 'loop' proposals are approved. In an interview with the Standard last year, manager Trevor Walter said the compensation could run into millions. But Laurel is not committing itself either way until the scheme has received ministerial approval and government funding. A spokesman said: "We would be disappointed for the people of Birdlip to lose the pub, but it really is too early to comment." The Laurel Pub Company bought the Air Balloon pub as part of a chain in 2001.

NEWS INDEX