We Asked, You Said, We Did

Update: Further Consultation

Our initial round of options consultation has ended however our Further Public Consultation for the A27 Arundel Bypass is now open for you to give us your views. Click on the above link to visit our new consultation page or visit our scheme web page to have your say.

The further consultation, will give local people a fresh look at all the viable options for upgrading the A27, using the latest available information. Please visit our project page for more information on why we’ve chosen to conduct further consultation and the next steps.

If you have registered to receive updates about the scheme, you will be notified of when the consultation launches. Alternatively, if you’re yet to register for these updates and would like to receive them, please subscribe by clicking here.

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We asked for feedback on our proposals to improve the A27 at Arundel. These were to improve the capacity of the road, reduce congestion, improve the safety of travellers and accessibility for all users while also delivering a scheme that minimises the environmental impact and respects the special qualities of the South Downs National Park.

A total of 2,062 people attended the exhibitions and stakeholder meetings that were held during the consultation period. 2,821 completed questionnaires were returned and a further 7,135 responses by letter or email were also received. Of the written responses, 132 were from key stakeholders while there were also 2 petition email response campaigns, co-ordinated by Friends of the Earth and the Woodland Trust. These received 737 and 5,748 signatories, respectively.

The feedback we received showed that:

• 79% of people who responded agreed that the road needs to be improved.
• the majority of people who took part in the consultation were very concerned about congestion or delays at junctions, journey times and reliability.
• people were also concerned about the effects of A27 traffic on the environment, road safety and the impact that traffic trying to avoid the A27, has on other local roads.
• there are significant concerns over the environmental impact of the scheme as a whole, with 82% of environmental groups who responded opposed to the scheme. There are also specific concerns about how each of the 3 options would affect the environment.

The views expressed and matters raised have been summarised in our preferred route brochure, with more detail also provided in our report on public consultation. You can find both of these documents in the ‘files’ section below.

 

We have selected a modified version of Option 5A as our preferred route for this scheme.

By providing a new dual carriageway bypass between the Crossbush junction to the east of Arundel and a new junction between Binsted Lane and Yapton Lane to the west, Option 5A will provide a long-term solution to relieve congestion and delays in the area, and help reduce feeling of division in the town centre. It will also:

• improve journey times: this modified version will reduce average journey times by up to 8 minutes westbound between the A27/Blakehurst Lane/Poling Street junction and the A27/Mill Road/Tye Lane junction, and 12 minutes eastbound.
• make journeys safer: the bypass will improve safety on the highway network by encouraging motorists to use the A27, rather than seeking alternative local routes to avoid congestion around Arundel.
• support economic growth: businesses across the region will benefit from efficiency improvements and improved journey times, while the additional capacity that the route provides will enable local authorities to better manage the impacts of planned population growth.
• help cyclists and pedestrians: lower traffic levels on the existing A27 are likely to make the  route more attractive to cyclists and pedestrians. There will also be stronger  opportunities for introducing new dedicated facilities that can further encourage more walking and cycling in the area, including a continuous pedestrian/cycle path along the existing A27 around Arundel.

Having taken feedback from the public consultation into account, we have modified the design to address some of the concerns that were raised during the consultation:

To further improve safety:

• the junction at the western end of the bypass will be revised so that local traffic from Yapton Lane and Shellbridge Road will be clearly separated from motorists joining, or leaving the A27.

To reduce the environmental impact:

• the alignment of the route has changed slightly so that it crosses the River Arun further south than initially proposed. This will reduce the impact on the Tortington Priory scheduled monument.
• we are also revising the layout of the junction at the western end of the scheme to reduce the impact on ancient woodland.

You can see a fly through of the preferred route below.

To learn more about the preferred route, please see the documents below. For more information on the development of the project and to subscribe to our web alerts, please visit the scheme web page.

We asked for feedback an option to improve the A358 between the M5 at Taunton and Southfields Roundabout on the A303. To help analyse feedback received from the consultation the route was divided into two sections as follows

Section 1 – a new motorway junction and dual carriageway from the M5 to West Hatch

Section 2 – upgrading the remainder of the A358 along the line of the existing road to Southfields Roundabout on the A303

The public events were attended by 1,670 people and a total of 1,198 questionnaires were returned. The questionnaire responses received were primarily from members of the local community, with a number of statutory and non statutory bodies submitting formal reports and letters in place of a questionnaire.

When asked in the consultation questionnaire, ‘to what degree do you believe the scheme proposal has achieved the objectives?’ 53% of respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed that the proposals would meet the scheme objectives.

The results outlined above were largely attributed to Section 1 of the scheme. Many respondents wanted to see more options for connecting the upgraded A358 with the M5 and more solutions to alleviate the level of traffic through Henlade. There was less concern about the principle of upgrading the A358 along the route of the existing road for Section 2 of the scheme.

We analysed the results from the consultation and have concluded that, before selecting a preferred route, it would be beneficial to hold a further consultation on our scheme proposals, with more options for connecting with the M5.

We have published a report summarising the findings of the first consultation.

This report summarises how the first consultation was handled and the responses that were received. It does not include our response to them though. This will be included in a further consultation report, which will be written after the new consultation ended, and published when we make our preferred route announcement for the scheme. 

Fnd out more about the new consultation.

 

This is the 2017 consultation. For the 2020 consultation please visit the 2020 consultation page.

You can also visit the 2019 consultation page.

We asked for feedback on our proposals to improve journeys by creating a new dual carriageway and improve the Black Cat junction on the A1. 

We put forward four options to improve the route and 3 options to upgrade the Black Cat roundabout.

You can view our Report on Consultation and the Preferred Route Announcement in the 'Results' section below.

• More than 4,000 people took part in the consultation
• Over 90% agreed with the need to address congestion and improve journeys along this stretch of the A428
• Over 80% chose the Orange route. This was the most northerly of the three suggested routes, providing the best connections into St Neots. It was also the closest to the existing A428
• Around 60% of people preferred our proposals under Option C for the Black Cat Junction

We have chosen the Orange route and Option C as our preferred route.

We read and considered every response and comment you gave us and, together with the results of our technical assessments, used this to review and improve our initial proposals. 

We have adjusted the alignment of the proposed dual carriageway to allow for potential growth around St Neots, to take into account issues such as landfill sites and power lines and to address the response from local communities.

We have also reduced the height and visual impact of the new junction at Black Cat by lowering the A1. 

Together, the new carriageway and junction improvements will:

Offer quicker, safer and more reliable journeys

• By reducing congestion in the area, the scheme will improve journeys between Milton Keynes and Cambridge.
• We expect to cut the time of the average commute between the Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet junctions by more than a third, saving drivers around 10 minutes on their commute.

Unlock regional and local growth

• The new road will mean better connections into St Neots train station and town centre.
• These improvements will complement the development of a new high quality link road between Oxford and Milton Keynes, transforming connections and supporting housing and job growth across the wider region. 

Help life in local villages by putting the right traffic on the right roads 

• The scheme will reduce rat running on local village roads and remove long distance traffic using these roads as a diversion route.
• There will be around 4,000 less vehicles on local roads at peak times.

In addition, the route has the least impact on the environment, wildlife, designated sites and heritage sites out of the three options we presented.

You can find out more in our Preferred Route booklet and maps in the 'Results' section below.

Consultation update

We are holding a new consultation on our proposals to improve journeys on the Trans-Pennine route between the Manchester and Sheffield city regions. This new consultation will help us to shape the scheme before we submit our planning application for consent to build it.

Please visit the new consultation page for more details.

Consultation 2017

We asked for feedback on a package of measures to improve the Trans-Pennine route between Manchester and Sheffield, with the intention of reducing congestion and improving journey times, reliability and safety.

Over 1,000 people attended the public information events that were held and we received 878 completed questionnaires.

We received clear feedback in response to the proposed link roads and the safety and technology improvements. 

We also received useful comments about the need to improve Westwood Roundabout in Tankersley near Sheffield.

On the 2 November we confirmed the preferred package for the Trans-Pennine upgrade programme.  The following elements are now being taken forward to the next stage of development:

• Mottram Moor and A57(T) to A57 Link Roads: Option A was identified as the preferred route. This option performed the best in terms of community impact and had the most support from those taking part in the consultation.   
• Safety and technology: There was broad support for the majority of the proposed measures, so we are doing further work to identify how they can be best used along the route.

As part of the announcement we are not including a preferred route for the A628 climbing lanes. Instead the need for the climbing lanes will be looked at again when the Trans-Pennine Tunnel strategic study, which is considering transformative options for connecting Manchester and Sheffield, is published.

The proposal to dual the A61 will also be looked at again so we can further assess what needs to be done. In the meantime we will take forward some work at Westwood Roundabout to improve congestion and traffic flows.

For more information on the development of the project or to subscribe to our web alerts, visit the scheme website.

Copies of the full public consultation report are also available to view at the following local venues:

• Barnsley: Central Library
• Broadbottom: Community Centre; Magdalene Centre
• Gamesley: Community and Sports Centre
• Glossop: Glossop Library; Leisure Centre; Bradbury Community House
• Hadfield: Library
• Hattersley: Hattersley Hub; Tesco Hattersley; Hattersley Library
• Hollingsworth: Post Office; St Mary’s Church
• Langsett: Bank View Café
• Mottram: Post Office; J. Wood and Company Ironmongers
• Sheffield: Penistone Library; Stocksbridge Library
• Tankersley: Welfare Hall; Post Office

We asked for feedback on our proposals to upgrade the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester to relieve congestion, support regional economic growth and improve access between communities, workplaces and local services.

A total of 735 stakeholders attended the public events and we received 1,237 questionnaire responses.

82% of people agreed that something should be done to address the problems on the A303. The responses showed overwhelming support for the principle of the scheme and significant majority support for Option 1.

As well as giving views on specific elements of the project, people provided feedback on themes such as the environment and the local community, as well as suggestions for additional junctions and crossing points.

The views expressed and matters raised are summarised in our preferred route leaflet with more detail provided in our report on public consultation. You can find both of these in the ‘files’ section below.

We read and considered every response and comment you gave us and, together with the results of further surveys and assessments, used this information to review and improve our initial proposals.

Following on from this we are now undertaking a statutory consultation for you to express your views on the design of the proposed scheme in advance of our application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to authorise construction of the project. For more information please visit the statutory consultation page.

 

Three public consultations have been undertaken for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick (Stonehenge) scheme.

This page shows information about the non-statutory consultation which took place between January and March 2017.

You can find information and documents relating to the other two consultations by clicking the links below:

Supplementary Consultation – July to  August 2018

Statutory Consultation – February to April 2018

 

Non-Statutory Consultation

We asked for feedback on proposals to upgrade the A303 past Stonehenge – an 8 mile (13 kilometre) stretch from Amesbury in the east, through the Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS) and the village of Winterbourne Stoke, to Berwick Down in the west.

The scheme needs to:

• support regional economic growth by improving connectivity to London and the South East
• meet future transport needs by creating a high quality reliable route
• enhance Stonehenge by restoring its setting in the prehistoric landscape
• improve the environment and local quality of life by reducing rat-running and other impacts

Our proposals were for a 1.8 mile (2.9 kilometre) tunnel with approach roads inside the WHS, a new bypass for Winterbourne Stoke (passing either north or south of the village) and improvements to existing junctions with the A345 and A360. 

More than 9,000 people and organisations responded to the consultation.

People generally agreed that something should be done to address the problems on the A303, but there were different opinions about what.

As well as giving views on specific elements of the project, people also offered alternative ideas and provided feedback on themes such as cultural heritage and the environment, as well as engineering, construction, planning, cost and the consultation process itself.

The views expressed and matters raised are summarised in our preferred route booklet, which you can find below in the documents section

We read and considered every response and comment you gave us and, together with the results of further surveys and assessments, used this information to review and improve our initial proposals. 

The most significant change was a re-think on the route through the western half of the WHS and the location of the western tunnel portal, which are now much closer to the line of the existing A303. This avoids many important archaeological sites, including newly-discovered important archaeology just to the east of the A360. The modified alignment also avoids any risk of the road intruding on the view of the setting sun from Stonehenge during the winter solstice, perhaps the most important sightline in the entire WHS.

Before consultation there was no clear preferred bypass option for Winterbourne Stoke. You have helped us decide that the northern route is the preferred option.

To learn more about the preferred route, please see the documents below. For more information on the development of the project, its role as part of an Expressway to the South West, and to subscribe to our web alerts, please visit the A303 Stonehenge webpage.

 

We asked for feedback on our design options for the A120 Harwich Road Roundabout.

We received 66 responses with overwhelming support for Option 2: Without the Park Road link. Many of you expressed concern with the suitability of local roads to accommodate additional traffic. You also highlighted that the lanes are well used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders and raised concern about the safety of these vulnerable users if traffic volumes increased.

In response to your feedback we have decided to remove the Park link road from our design. We still intend for the construction to begin later this year.

We asked for feedback on proposals to create a new dual carriageway on the A30 between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross, to relieve congestion and improve access between communities, workplaces and local services.

Feedback received from the consultation related to the impact on farms, businesses and properties, junction capacity and the environment. We have taken this into account in the selection of the preferred route.

On 3 July 2017 we confirmed the preferred route for the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross scheme as a modified version of the route presented at consultation.

The preferred route provides a new dual carriageway running to the north of the existing A30 between Chiverton and Chybucca and to the south between Chybucca and Carland Cross. It includes:

• a 70mph high quality dual carriageway
• a new roundabout at Chiverton Cross built on 2 levels to allow traffic to flow freely
• a new partial junction at Chybucca built on 2 levels with west-facing slip-roads only to provide access onto the dual carriageway from local routes
• new bridges at Tolgroggan Farm, Pennycomequick Lane and over the Allet to Tresawsen road to provide local access
• a 2 level junction at Carland Cross with a new roundabout north of the dual carriageway and re-using the existing roundabout to the south
• use of the existing A30 as a local route with new sections where necessary to provide continuity.

Following on from this we are now undertaking a statutory consultation for you to express your views on the design of the proposed scheme in advance of our application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to authorise construction of the project. For more information please visit the statutory consultation page.

Statutory Consultation 2018 

We read and considered every response and comment you gave us and, together with the results of further surveys and assessments, used this information to review and improve our initial proposals.

On the 24 October we made the preferred route announcement for the A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool Junction improvement scheme.

The southern bypass option is being taken forward to the next stage in the process.  This option does the most to:

• reduce congestion and journey times and improve safety overall.
• better support the proposed developments further north on the Fylde peninsula, by increasing the overall capacity of the road.
• provide the most improvements to pedestrians and cyclists, as it will take traffic away from the existing A585.

Following on from this we are now undertaking a statutory consultation for you to express your views on the design of the proposed scheme in advance of our application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to authorise construction of the project. For more information please visit the statutory consultation page.

 

Overview

We held a 6 week public consultation where we asked for feedback on 2 options for improving the road.

We received a total of 574 completed questionnaires and 37 written responses from the public.

Most people agreed that something needs to be done to improve the route. 78% of people indicated a preference for the bypass to be provided while 12% stated that they would prefer improvements were made to the existing road.

Some people also stated that they would like to see a link to Shard Road incorporated into the scheme.

On the 24 October we made the preferred route announcement for the A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool Junction improvement scheme

The southern bypass option is being taken forward to the next stage in the process.  This option does the most to:

• reduce congestion and journey times and improve safety overall.
• better support the proposed developments further north on the Fylde peninsula, by increasing the overall capacity of the road.
• provide the most improvements to pedestrians and cyclists, as it will take traffic away from the existing A585.

In taking the scheme through to the next stage of its development we will look at whether a link to Shard Road is needed or is feasible, and we will decide whether or not to include a junction with Garstang New Road.

For more information on the development of the project or to subscribe to our web alerts, please visit the scheme webpage.