News | Stockport Bypass Facts

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Showdown

October 29th 2021: Developer Quorum’s appeal against rejection of its plan for warehouses (pictured above) in the Tame Valley will be heard next year, starting on February 1st. Stockport Council’s Planning Committee rejected Quorum’s planning application last March by nine votes to three. At the inquiry next February, the Council will be defending the Planning Committee’s decision. Local MPs Andrew Gwynne and William Wragg will also be opposing the development in the inquiry.

Woodley Ashton Road bridge Appeal

A few days left

September 24th 2021: Developer Quorum’s plan for warehouses in Woodley’s Tame Valley would bring more vehicles into an area already overwhelmed by congestion, traffic noise, pollution and disturbance.

Hundreds of huge articulated lorries would access the area night and day.
More lorries would divert past people’s homes in Denton because of the low bridge (pictured) on Ashton Road and the congestion around the M60 junction at Bredbury.
Increase in car and lorry traffic could make the terrible local congestion worse.
Pollution is already at illegal limits on the A560.
Quorum claims it will make things better by putting traffic signals on the Ashton Road roundabout at M60 Junction 25 – on the roundabout carriageway itself. Transport for Greater Manchester says this could cause the junction to “lock up” because the roundabout is too small!

There are just a few days left to comment on Quorum’s appeal against refusal of planning permission, by Stockport Planning Committee. The deadline is next Wednesday, 29^th September.

Without strong opposition the appeal could succeed.

You can comment at  https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk. Find case 3279967. Click on “Make representation”. (Registration is not required.) Write in your own words.

IMG_1101 green week

Now or never

September 18th 2021: The Great Big Green Week is running across Britain all this week to celebrate action to curb climate change. There are some events in Stockport as part of 4,500 community events across the country. Sustainable Living in the Heatons https://www.facebook.com/slheatons/ and Sustainable Bramhall https://www.facebook.com/groups/826826418071614/ are the two groups in Stockport putting on events.

A young people’s Global Strike for Climate day is taking place around the world on Friday, with a gathering at St Peter’s Square, Manchester at noon.

The events are taking place in the run-up to a vital global climate summit in Glasgow in November which will determinate whether effective action will be taken before climate change runs out of control.

Climate change is relevant to attempts to prevent giant warehouses being built in the Tame Valley at Woodley (pictured) and a bypass through Stockport’s Goyt Valley. Both developments would create more traffic. Growth in traffic including lorries, would make the UK’s climate goal of cutting greenhouse emissions by 78% by 2035 even more difficult to achieve. A switch to electric vehicles will help, but continual expanding of vehicle numbers would become a massive drain on electric supplies, making it more difficult to achieve 100% carbon neutral energy.

The next round

September 3rd 2021: Developers Quorum are appealing to a public inquiry to impose their unwanted plan for warehouses in the Tame Valley at Woodley. Quorum wants to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate almost to the river. The plan was rejected by Stockport’s Planning Committee following widespread objections. Now we must say No again in order to save our green belt.

Reasons to object to the development may include:

The destruction of protected green belt and river valley.
Loss of local open space and footpaths.
Disturbance and harm to wildlife of the Tame Valley including barn owls, badgers and nesting birds.
More HGV traffic throughout the area night and day.
24-hour loading at the warehouses increasing noise pollution for residents of Lowick Green, Castle Hill Park and Mill Lane.
Increased traffic causing congestion and air pollution.
Disturbance from construction extending over five years.
Breach of Stockport Council’s specific policies to protect Tame Valley Landscape Chracter Area and green belt.

Please write as someone living in the locality and concerned to protect it. Give your views at https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk.

It is advised to register on the site with a user name and password, then search for case 3279967. Click on “Make representation”. (Registration is not essential.) The deadline is September 25^th.

aerial goyt valley 2016 Local Plan

An alarming plan

August 19th 2021: SMBC’s next Local Plan is being prepared. Once again it is set to include the A6-M60 Bypass route across Stockport’s beautiful Goyt Valley. The plan will also propose up to 7,000 new homes on green belt!

A consultation on the plan’s “principles” is taking place until the end of September at https://consultation.stockport.gov.uk/policy-performance-and-reform/a-plan-for-stockport-by-stockport/ Tell them what you think!

A6-M60 BYPASS: Previous plans have reserved the route across green belt from Hazel Grove (A555) to Bredbury (M60) in the expectation that the Government will eventually find £500 million to pay for it. The new plan will again reserve the route for this useless and destructive road.

BUILDING ON GREEN BELT: SMBC believes that it has to plan for 18,531 new homes over the next 17 years. This number, or something like it, comes from the Government. SMBC has identified “brownfield” sites for 11,097 homes – leaving 7,484 homes to be built on green belt. The final numbers are still being worked on. Both the Government and SMBC need to be challenged on this massive loss of green belt.

WHAT WE KNOW: The consultation gives scant information. More was given to the full Council meeting last July. See http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/documents/g27425/Public%20reports%20pack%2015th-Jul-2021%2018.00%20Council%20Meeting.pdf?T=10 page 1,133. This gives the housing numbers and says the plan will also include proposals in the Transport Local Implementation Plan – which includes the A6-M60 Bypass.

THE LOCAL PLAN is a plan for use of land, mainly for development. Very confusingly, the Council has just produced a Borough Plan which is something completely different – setting out general principles for the Council’s work.

DOING THE CONSULTATION: It’s hard to do much with the consultation questions but there are boxes in which we can say what we want, such as: no loss of green belt; no A6-M60 Bypass!

Map of Goyt Valley circular walk

Around the valley

April 25th 2021: The opening of the foot/cycle bridge over the Goyt near Pear Mill has opened up a wonderful circular walk around Stockport’s Goyt Valley including Woodbank Park’s riverside path.

In the wake of the pandemic, the valley and park are more popular than ever for people who want to enjoy our beautiful outdoors. Those politicians who are still pushing for a bypass through the valley should take note.

The circular walk was available last winter but impeded by mud on the path from Nab Weir to Offerton Cricket Ground. Now it can be appreciated with solid ground under foot. The walk takes around two hours.

I have added an optional diversion (blue dots) through Riley Wood for its bluebells. Take the upper path through the wood directly under the pylon. Bluebells can also be seen along the path through Woodbank Park and Poise Brook Valley Nature Reserve.

Going anticlockwise, points of interest on the map are 1. The new bridge; 2. Nab Weir (with its popular beach). Take a left up the steps to stay on the river path; 3. Offerton Cricket Ground in its natural ampitheatre. The path goes behind the pavilion, then turn left; 4. Poise Brook Valley (the Nature Reserve and ancient woodland stretch along the river bank to the cricket ground as well as south along Poise Brook towards Offerton); 5. Jim Fearnley Bridge (take a looping left down to the bridge); 6. Goyt Hall (including 16^th century half timber); 7. Suspected prehistoric site on the hilltop; 8. Riley Wood; 9. Barlows/Middle Farm (with old tractors); 10. Bredbury Hall (its medieval cruck barn/night club is the nearest building to the road). Take the path round the back of the hall; 11. Electricity station; 12. Pear Mill.

Appeal by developers

March 29th 2021: Stockport Council’s Planning Committee has voted down the application to build giant warehouses on the Tame Valley at Woodley. We are grateful to the nine councillors who voted against from all four political parties on the committee. We should also respect the three councillors who voted for the warehouses because of concern about jobs, even if we doubt the job totals being claimed.

The applicant has said they will to appeal against the committee’s decision. The appeal will be heard at a public inquiry. In a reversal of roles, Stockport Council must lead the opposition to the warehouses at the inquiry. Councillor Brian Bagnall has taken on the job of leading for the Council. The appeal will be difficult because of the emphasis that national planning law places on encouraging development.

Central Area: no recommendation

March 12th 2021: SMBC’s Central Area Committee decided not to make a recommendation about the plan for warehouses in the Tame Valley at its meeting on Thursday evening.

A robust two-hour discussion ended with agreement to pass the application on to the Planning Committee, which meets in two weeks. The Area Committee said more scrutiny of the decision was needed.

The Central Area’s non-decision follows a recommendation by the Werneth Area Committee last Monday for the Planning Committee to reject the application.

The debate at the Central Area Committee included a powerful statement against the plan by Councillor Sheila Bailey. She said that “our river valleys need protection not destruction”.

On the other side was Council leader Elise Wilson who also spoke at length, though without quite saying she supported the application.

For the Woodley campaign, Diane Coffey spoke strongly, as on Monday. Also as on Monday, the developer’s representative made some dubious claims, including doubling the previously estimated yield of business rates to public funds from the scheme.

The scene is now set for the Planning Committee’s decision on March 25th.

Habitats at risk

March 6th 2021: Stockport Council’s report on the Tame Valley planning application includes many striking quotes from people objecting to loss of nature, including:

‘Wildlife will be driven out of their habitat and the green belt’…. ‘We regularly see wildlife and protected species in the Tame Valley’…. ‘Impact on birds of prey, barn owls, falcon, hawks, bats’…. ‘The surrounding hedgerows form an extensive network that links wildlife conservation areas’…. ‘The issue is with green land being turned to concrete and traffic’ …. ‘To claim that the project will increase biodiversity is ridiculous.’

Unfortunately SMBC’s planning officers ignored these important points. Will the councillors do better? The planning application to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate goes to Werneth Area Committee this Monday (8th March); Central Area Committee on Thursday 11th March; and the Planning Committee two weeks later on the 25th March.

If you can, please contact councillors with your views via https://www.stockport.gov.uk/councillors: Werneth Area Committee – Councillors Christine Corris, Clark, Stuart Corris, Gordon, Roberts and Smart. Central Area Committee – Councillors Davies, Waters, Bailey, Clingan, Crawford, Harding, Peers, Sorton, Stewart, Wild, Wilson and Wynne. Planning Committee – Councillors Sorton (Chair), Bagnall, Charles-Jones, Clingan, Christine Corris, Driver, Gibson, Greenhalgh, Harding, Meikle, Taylor and Wyatt.

The pictures are by Tameside People 4 Wildlife.

Woodley blot on landscape

Blot on the landscape

February 27th 2021: Stockport Council planners have recommended approval for warehouses on Tame Valley green belt at Woodley. Local area councillors will meet on Monday week, March 8th, and the Planning Committee on March 25th to decide.

The development of giant warehouses will ruin the valley, cause noise and light pollution and put hundreds of articulated lorries on local roads day and night. Big warehouses are increasingly relying on automation, reducing the jobs available.

The illustration, produced by the developers, shows the proposed warehouses inserted into the view towards Werneth Low.

Woodley night 24

Through the night

February 5th 2021: Proposed warehouses in the Tame Valley “will be operational 24 hours a day”, according to the developers’ planning application.

The revised application to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate across the valley may soon go before Stockport Council’s committees.

Night-time operation of new large warehouses is now standard in order to get the most from expensive automation. Resulting HGV traffic has created a nightmare for people living near warehousing developments such as Florida Farm, Haydock.

In the Tame Valley, noise and light pollution will be produced by flood-lit loading and unloading and by HGV manoeuvres outside the warehouses.

Articulated lorries will access the warehouses from the A6017 in both directions.

The planning application has produced estimates to show the night-time impact won’t be that bad. But there are several question marks over how these estimates were worked out.

In reality, little is known of how the warehouses will work in the absence of signed-up tenants. They could be busier or less busy than predicted, and this could change over time.

The peaceful fields in the valley at Woodley must be preserved.

Not going away

January 25th 2021: The flooding of the A555 at Hall Moss, Bramhall arises from the overflowing of drainage tanks under the carriageway. These tanks were in place before the road was extended in 2018 but now have to handle greater volumes of water.

Mott MacDonald’s report for Stockport Council into the 2019 flooding says among other things that the section of new road immediately east of Bramhall “all drains into the original A555 drainage system and is all pumped to Spath Brook… Flows that cannot be pumped are temporarily stored on or below the A555 carriageway. There are no calculations available to confirm the original A555 pump station at Hall Moss Lane together with the original below ground storage can support the additional flows from the new A555…”

The report goes on to say that the new drainage arrangements are intended to have a 1 in 30 year design flood capacity to protect downstream communities but this is achieved by retaining excess water on the carriageway. It says that there is no indication that the effect of a “1 in 100 year storm” has been considered.

The implication of the report is that the £290 million A555 extension was built without considering climate change which has made “1 in 100 years storms” frequent events.

A second focus of flooding is further to the west on the A555. This is now looked after by Cheshire East Council though also part of the new road built by Stockport Council.

Poise Brook upheaval

January 24th 2021: Major drainage works are taking place at the southern entrance to Poise Brook valley, as shown in a YouTube video https://youtu.be/bmcF0_qrRJA. Sadly, the works by United Utilities have included the felling of mature trees. A track has been driven through from Offerton Sand & Gravel next door to provide access for heavy vehicles. The path to the valley will be temporarily closed at some stage.

Despite the destruction, there is a positive side to the works. They are right in the path of the proposed A6-M60 Bypass. Clearly United Utilities are not expecting the Bypass to happen following multiple refusals of funding by the Government.

The pictures are extracted from Aztech Drones’ video.

Flooded again

January 21st 2021: Flooding has closed the Airport Road A555 for the fourth time since the road’s £290 million extension was opened in October 2018. An engineer’s report published last year by Stockport Council revealed that flooding had been designed into the road.

Stockport Council has applied three times for funding to further extend the A555 from Hazel Grove to Bredbury (A6-M60 Bypass). Fortunately the Government has so far refused to put up the money for an another installment of this shambolic greenbelt-destroying road.

Woodley walk map photo version3

Urgent consultation

December 18th 2020: The developers’ latest plan to build giant warehouses across the Tame Valley has triggered the fifth public consultation on such proposals in four years.

It’s regrettable that this is still going on but we are having an effect: this autumn the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework’s proposal to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate was substantially reduced and then defeated.

Now developers Quorum are trying to make their third version of the same scheme acceptable by reducing it somewhat and moving it a little further away from the river.

However, Quorum’s tinkering doesn’t alter the fundamentals. Their scheme would still ruin the valley.

Please submit online objections to planning application 074399 via https://www.stockport.gov.uk/find-planning-applicationsby 7th January 2021 (click on Comments). Alternatively you can email comments to planning.dc@stockport.gov.uk, or post them to Rebecca Andison, Stockport MBC, Planning Services, Place Directorate, Stopford House, Piccadilly, Stockport, SK1 3XE. Please quote reference: DC/074399, BREDBURY GATEWAY – AS AMENDED 14 DECEMBER 2020

town hall small

Green spaces remain at risk

December 6th 2020: Stockport Council voted last Thursday (3rd December) by 35 votes to 26 to reject Greater Manchester Spatial Framework 2020.

This decision removes the immediate threat to greenbelt sites proposed for housing in Heald Green, Woodford, Offerton and Romiley as well as the Tame Valley site earmarked for expansion of Bredbury Industrial Estate. However, a period of renewed anxiety now begins.

In the absence of the Spatial Framework, Stockport Council officials will concentrate on producing a Local Plan. They will be looking for sites for 18,000 homes to meet current Government-imposed requirements. Sites for around eleven thousand of these homes seem to have so far been identified. For the rest there could be yet again recourse to the green belt – and/or urban green spaces.

This situation marks a colossal failure by all involved. Why, for instance, did Council leader Elise Wilson and GM Mayor Andy Burnham wait until just days before last month’s original Council meeting on the Spatial Framework before renewing contact with the Tories? On the other hand, why didn’t the Tories go beating on Mayor’s door? When will the Lib Dems tell us what their plan is for dealing with the Government’s house-building demands?

At last night’s meeting a few possibilities floated around. Will Manchester and Salford Councils continue to be prepared to kindly take on part of Stockport’s housing target, despite so far saying they won’t do this outside the Spatial Framework? Will Stockport Council officials find a way to reduce the house-building target by recalculating it, while continuing to use the Government’s method for doing the sums? Will the Government change the way national house-building targets are shared out and if so will this help or be even more challenging? Will Covid and Brexit produce a reality check?

Last Thursday’s Council debate and vote went strictly along party lines with Labour all for the Spatial Framework and Lib Dems, Conservative and Heald Green Ratepayers against. Councillor Yvonne Guariento (Labour) broke ranks to say the proposal for 1,700 homes on Heald Green green belt was no good.

There were some mentions last night of real housing need, rather than construction of suburban four-bed detacheds. Stockport has 8,000 families on its waiting list many of whom might not have been helped even by the quite high target of shared ownership (“affordable housing”) within the GMSF.

A feature of Labour’s approach to the debate was to point out that the Lib Dems are not really against building on green belt because they had pushed through construction of the A555 Airport Road across a lot of green belt and wanted to build the A6-M60 Bypass across Stockport’s Goyt Valley. The Lib Dems’ Lisa Smart confirmed this was still their position.

Nevertheless, Labour themselves previously submitted three funding requests to the Government for the A6-M60 Bypass and, as we heard later in a debate about transport, the Bypass is still part of Stockport’s strategy though entirely unfunded (fortunately).

Defeat for Framework expected

November 27th 2020: Stockport councillors are expected to vote next Thursday 3^rd December to reject the latest version of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. If this happens it will cancel proposals for building homes on green belt in Heald Green, Woodford, Offerton and Romiley. A proposal for High Lane has already been withdrawn.

The Spatial Framework’s plan for expansion of Bredbury Industrial Estate into the Tame Valley will also fall. However, a planning application from developer Quorum for a similar but larger scheme (pictured) in the Tame Valley is still very much alive. Quorum’s application could go to Stockport Council’s Werneth Area Committee in December but is more likely to be considered early next year by the Srea and Planning Committees.

Stockport Council’s planning officers drew up the proposals for the borough in the Spatial Framework. If these are rejected on December 3rd, the Council will need to speed up work on a Local Plan for the borough, maximising the construction of homes on brownfield sites.

Rejection of the Spatial Framework will not end the threat of house-building on green belt. Developers can be expected to bring forward proposals for green belt sites.

Stockport’s listed brownfield sites fall far short of meeting the Government’s expected requirement for house-building in the borough.

Kicked down the road

November 17th 2020: This evening’s Stockport Council meeting dodged discussing the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which it had been called to decide on. Councillors adjourned the meeting almost as soon as it began.

Councillors will now hold talks to see if the Framework’s plans for building on green belt can be softened. Conservatives and Heald Green Independents are looking for concessions from Council leader Elise Wilson of the Labour Party. The Lib Dems opposed the adjournment and just want Stockport Council to quit the Spatial Framework.

It is unclear whether the Council leader is willing or able to offer sufficient concessions to win over any opposition councillors. Labour does not have enough votes on its own to get the Spatial Framework through.

If Stockport rejects the Spatial Framework it will be brought to a halt throughout Greater Manchester. Already last month the launch of the latest version of the Framework was held up by opposition to Stockport Council’s proposal to build warehouses in the Tame Valley.

The Spatial Framework is a plan for housebuilding and industrial development in Greater Manchester up to 2037. All ten Councils within Greater Manchester need to approve it. While most new homes would be built on brownfield sites, some major developments are proposed for green belt.

GMSF Local implementation Plan crop

Still hanging around

November 16th 2020: Stockport Council’s proposed greenbelt-destroying A6-M60 Bypass has reared its head again. It appears alongside Greater Manchester’s Spatial Framework plan for building on greenbelt.

When Stockport’s councillors discuss the Spatial Framework at 6pm this Tuesday 17th November, they will also have to vote on a Local Implementation Plan for transport, including “options to be developed” for the Bypass.

While the Spatial Framework proposes to ruin Stockport’s Tame Valley, the A6-M60 Bypass would do likewise for the borough’s Goyt Valley.

The Bypass would extend the A555 from Hazel Grove to Bredbury, generating more traffic and increasing congestion at the road’s three end points: A6 High Lane, M60 Junction 25 and Manchester Airport.

The Government rejected the Council’s requests for funding for the Bypass in 2016, 2018 and 2019. The Bypass would cost a massive £500 million. SMBC doesn’t have the means even to work on the plans.

Improved transport would be necessary to cope with the increased traffic coming from the various proposals for Stockport in the Spatial Framework. Can anyone have faith in a Local Implementation Plan that includes the hopeless Bypass proposal?

The Local Implementation Plan starts on page 35 of SMBC’s Tuesday agenda https://tinyurl.com/StockportLIPThe Council meeting can be followed live at https://stockport.public-i.tv/core/portal/home

Woodley GMSF 2020 crop

‘Compromise’ revealed

October 24th 2020: The new draft of Greater Manchester Spatial Framework has finally been published with modifications to the proposed expansion of Bredbury Industrial Estate into the Tame Valley.

Publication had been scheduled for October 5^th but was held back at the last minute by Tameside Council’s strong opposition to the original proposal for the Tame Valley. The revised proposal substantially reduces the loss of green belt within the site. See the illustration, in which I have added some notes to the Spatial Framework’s map plus a current aerial view inset. What exactly would happen to the green belt area within the site is unclear.

While the new proposal is a step forward, an important area of green belt friendly to wildlife would still be lost. There continues to be no buffer zone for the park homes and houses next to the south east of the site.

It remains to be seen what effect the new proposal will have on the current planning application by developer Quorum for the whole site plus Finland Park farm.

In the Spatial Framework’s other proposals for Stockport, the only significant change from last year’s draft is that a plan for new homes at Unity Mill, also in the Tame Valley, has been abandoned. Proposals for house building on green belt remain for Heald Green (1,700 homes including 325 already approved) , High Lane (500 homes), Woodford (750 homes), Romiley (250 homes) and Offerton (reduced to 185 homes). See page 341 onwards of https://tinyurl.com/Spatial20

Petition closed

October 16th 2020: The petition to save the Tame Valley at Woodley has closed and has been passed on to Stockport Council in advance of formal receipt of the petition at the full meeting of the Council next Thursday. The Council’s Covid restrictions prevent physical or even virtual presentation of petitions at Council meetings.

Intransigent SMBC

October 5th 2020: Opposition to the bulldozing of Woodley’s Tame Valley is having an effect. The unveiling of Greater Manchester’s new Spatial Framework was delayed today (October 5th) because of Tameside Council’s objections to the proposal. Please add your voice to those calling for the Tame Valley to be saved, by signing the petition to protect the valley at http://chng.it/KPWjLbNd: , if you have not already done so.

Stockport Council wants the Spatial Framework to remove greenbelt protection from the eastern side of the valley so that Bredbury Industrial Estate can be expanded. Tameside Council says this would grievously affect their side of the valley. It is not yet known how or whether the dispute between the two councils can be resolved.

Citizens of Stockport can show that we value the borough’s green belt and river valleys, by signing and sharing the petition http://chng.it/KPWjLbNd:

IMG_1083 crop

Stop the destruction

October 5th 2020: The new Greater Manchester Spatial Framework will be published today, including yet again a proposal for Bredbury Industrial Estate to be expanded across the green belt of the Tame Valley.

The giant warehouses intended for the site would be highly automated, creating relatively few jobs while destroying the peace and nature of the valley. Stockport councillors will vote on the Spatial Framework on October 22nd. Please sign the petition to protect the Tame Valley at http://chng.it/KPWjLbNd

The proposal to bulldoze the valley comes from the leadership and officials of Stockport Council, against the view of three of Stockport’s MPs and nearly all 795 comments on a current planning application that would put the proposal into effect.

Thanks to Tameside’s People 4 Wildlife for the barn owl and fox. Information about the Spatial Framework comes from Manchester Evening News.

Big Stockport proposals unchanged

October 5th 2020: The new version of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework will today reaffirm the major proposals for building homes on Stockport’s green belt, according to information in the hands of Manchester Evening News.

The proposal in last year’s version of GMSF for homes at Unity Mill, Woodley has been dropped and homes on the Offerton High School site are reduced from 250 to 185. Unchanged proposals are 1,700 homes at Heald Green/Stanley Green (but 350 of these already have planning permission); 750 homes at Woodford Aerodrome; 500 homes in High Lane and 240 at Hyde Bank, Romiley.

The proposals for Heald Green/Stanley Green, Woodford Aerodrome and High Lane will put more traffic on to the A34 and the new A555, which both had serious congestion problems before Covid.

Honour the policy

October 4th 2020: Three councillors from Tameside’s side of the Tame Valley have written to Stockport’s Council leader Elise Wilson protesting at her insistence that the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework must earmark the valley for expansion of Bredbury Industrial Estate.

Councillors Newton, Reid and Naylor point out that Stockport Council is breaching its own policy of protecting its river valleys as set out in the Council’s existing local plan, known as the UDP.

They quote five points from the UDP. These commit the Council to protect the valleys of the Tame, Mersey, Goyt/Etherow and Ladybrook, including protecting the valleys’ environment and nature, providing recreation there, making waterside areas more attractive and ensuring that if any development is permitted, it should “make a positive contribution to the surrounding landscape” – so clearly not the massive warehouses now being proposed for the Tame Valley.

Please sign the petition to protect the Tame Valley at http://chng.it/KPWjLbNd

Woodley petition

Support needed

September 28th 2020: Please sign and share this petition http://chng.it/KPWjLbNd to save the Tame Valley in Woodley.

The area is protected both as green belt and as one of Stockport’s important river valleys. The new version of Greater Manchester Spatial Framework is expected to remove that protection so that Bredbury Industrial Estate can be expanded down almost to the river. We cannot allow this to happen.

Stockport Council will vote on the Spatial Framework on 22nd October. A planning application is already under consideration and could be waved through following the Council’s vote.

The petition is from Save Woodley’s Greenbelt SK6.

Decision day

September 21st 2020: October 22^nd is now the important date for the future of the Tame Valley’s green belt at Woodley. This is when Stockport Council will decide whether to back the forthcoming final version of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. The Framework will probably propose to lift green belt protection so that Bredbury Industrial Estate can be extended across the Valley.

A separate planning application to extend the Industrial Estate has been held back until after the Council meets on October 22^nd. The planning application will be harder to resist if the Council backs extension of the Industrial Estate in the Spatial Framework.

Stockport Council is supposed to protect its river valleys, which provide peaceful green space for people and wildlife. We ask councillors to not allow the Spatial Framework to go forward containing any proposal to concrete over the Tame Valley at Woodley.

All at once

September 19th 2020: We should find out this Monday (September 21st) whether the application to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate across Tame Valley greenbelt will go to SMBC’s Werneth Area Committee the following Monday, September 28th.

After the Area Committee, the application would go to the Planning Committee for decision on Thursday, 15th October.

A week later, on Thursday, 22nd October, the full Council will vote on the final version of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which may well include extension of Bredbury Industrial Estate. The Framework is a 17-year building plan which strips greenbelt protection from some sites.

Alternatively, the planning application from developers Quorum might be held back until after the Council meeting. There is an Area Committee on November 9th and a Planning Committee on November 26th.

The planning application has been in limbo since March, but is likely to go to committee after the developers submitted a tiny amount of new information in August.

The application and the proposal included in previous versions of the Spatial Framework are only slightly different; both would ruin this part of the Tame Valley.

We cannot go physically to the meetings but we need to make our voices heard.

The Spatial Framework’s 2016 and 2019 versions contained several other local proposals which are cause for concern.

Not rain-proof

September 18th 2020: The A555 was designed to flood, according to a new official report into last year’s summer floods in Stockport.

Consulting engineers Mott Macdonald investigated the floods for Stockport Council. They uncovered many errors in design and construction of the new section of A555 opened in 2018.

Most seriously the engineers found that the new eastern section of road drains into the old A555 at Bramhall, in a way that is designed only to cope with “once in 30 years” storms. Because of climate change, much worse storms than this now occur fairly frequently. The A555 was closed three times in 2019.

The report says that this low standard of drainage was used “on the grounds the exceedance flow is retained on the carriageway and not passed to downstream communities” – meaning that when the drains can’t cope, the road is submerged rather than local homes.

The water collects under Hall Moss Lane bridge whenever a drainage tank under the road overflows. The water is eventually pumped into the nearby Spath Brook.

It is all very well for the consultants to blame the road’s builders (who also designed it). But surely Stockport Council, who supervised the building contract, also have responsibility? Had they not heard of climate change?

It is still Stockport Council’s official policy to extend the A555 from Hazel Grove to Bredbury – the A6-M60 Bypass, with all its greenbelt destruction and climate impact.

Mott Macdonald’s report is on the agenda for next Monday’s Communities and Housing Scrutiny Committee of SMBC.

Keep these paths

September 12th 2020: Enjoy these footpaths while you can. Paths across greenbelt would be replaced by routes next to giant warehouses if the proposed extension of Bredbury Industrial Estate is approved. (The threatened area is shown in full colour.)

This part of the Tame Valley faces the twin urgent threats of 1. a current planning application, and 2. inclusion in the forthcoming final version of Greater Manchester’s Spatial Framework building plan. We need to oppose both proposals.

The planning application could go to Area Committee on September 28th and the new version of Spatial Framework will probably reach the public in October (though exactly when is still unclear).

Tiviot Way car park 2 words

Believe it or not

August 28th 2020: The developers applying to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate have come up with an outrageous claim. They say their plan will produce a “net biodiversity gain” of 13.58%.

It’s obvious that bulldozing Woodley’s Tame Valley would do great damage to nature and biodiversity. The supposed biodiversity gain is deception, achieved by offsetting the loss of habitat in the Tame Valley by carrying out some improvements in Reddish Vale Country Park.

These would be….1. The car park off Tiviot Way would get a hedge around it, 2. the plants in two fields would be improved, and 3. a pond would be dug. All very nice, but in no way does this make up for the loss of Woodley’s Tame Valley.

The developers have produced this new claim when answering some questions from Stockport Council. The Council has yet to say what will happen next to the application.

At the same time, the final draft of Greater Manchester’s Spatial framework could also threaten Woodley’s Tame Valley when it is published soon.

Greenbelt collision

August 19th 2020: The clock is ticking on final decisions for Greater Manchester’s 20-year building plan, or Spatial Framework. At the same time the Government recently announced proposals to tear apart the existing planning system. A collision seems inevitable.

The Spatial Framework includes industrial development such as the destructive plan to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate across the Tame Valley as well as many schemes for house-building on green belt.

The Framework’s housing proposals are driven by a so-called housing need target which the Government insists must be based on estimates made back in 2014. If instead lower estimates from 2016 and 2018 were used, all new housing could be on brownfield sites with no loss of green belt.

The Government’s new idea is to replace England’s planning system with “zoning”, which would give builders automatic development rights.

Maybe the three proposed zones (Growth, Renewal and Protected) could be retro-fitted over the Spatial Framework. But there are other problems: There would be no control over what gets built. Also, the system of getting builders to contribute to the cost of infrastructure will be cut back. Consequently, the Spatial Framework could not be the careful development process that it was intended to be.

A possible response in Stockport is to just quit the Spatial Framework but this could lead to the borough being compelled to build a disastrous 4,000 extra homes on green belt, which currently the Council has persuaded other boroughs to build for it as part of the Spatial Framework.

In any case, councillors should vote against all schemes for unnecessary and unwanted destruction of green belt. See our greenbelt page.

Yet more tarmac

August 17th 2020: Work is about to start on the £26 million Poynton Relief Road after confirmation of Government funding. The road will be three kilometres of single carriageway crossing the old Woodford Aerodrome from Adlington to the A555 Airport Road.

Ponton Relief Road isn’t a greenbelt-eating monster like the proposed £500 million A6-M60 Bypass (Hazel Grove-Bredbury). However, it is part of the same SEMMMS scheme.
Poynton Relief Road is hoped to reverse the increased congestion on Macclesfield Road and A6 High Lane caused by the opening of the Airport Road. But, at the same time, it risks putting more traffic on the A555 and the already congested A34 and M60, further overloading the road network.

Let’s hope that we don’t return to pre-lockdown levels of traffic. In the end, the only way to tackle congestion is by reducing traffic, not building ever more roads. In the last few months, we have seen that this is possible.

Airport road flood utube

Soggy anniversary

July 26th 2020: A year ago this week the newly extended A555 flooded for the second time. It remained closed for nine days. Amazingly, flooding caused a third closure in October 2019.

Clearly the designers of the £290 million extended road had taken no account of climate change and increasingly frequent extreme weather.

The floods a year ago took place while Stockport Council was asking the Government to fund a further extension of the A555, the A6-M60 Bypass from High Lane to Bredbury. That road would also have crossed flood-prone land. Funding has so far been refused.

Stockport Council commissioned inquiries into the flooding of the A555 and other floods in the borough, so far unpublished. A further report will consider the first year of operation of the extended A555, opened in October 2018. The eastern end of the road was beset by congestion at its eastern end pre-Covid.

The near collapse of the dam wall of Todbrook Reservoir pushed the A555 out of the headlines on August 1st 2019.

Back again

July 22nd 2020: A new timetable has been announced for finalising proposals for building on parts of Greater Manchester’s green belt – known as the Spatial Framework. The intended final draft of the Framework will go to councillors of the region’s ten boroughs in this coming September and October. If approved by the councillors, the Framework will go out for public consultation in November for eight weeks.

There have already been two public consultations on previous drafts of the Framework, which has met strong opposition.

In Stockport, the Framework’s unpopular proposal to extend the industrial estate at Woodley is already the subject of a planning application. Other proposals for Stockport in the previous draft included sites in High Lane, Heald Green, Offerton, Woodford and a second in Woodley.

Valley invader

July 21st 2020: The hyper invasive species Himalayan Balsam is making inroads into Poise Brook Valley Nature Reserve ancient woodland, where it was previously only on the outskirts. Plants can each scatter 800 seeds, so large areas can be quickly overwhelmed. Stockport Council can no longer afford to employ parks staff, so only the action of individuals can limit the invasion. Most Himalayan Balsam is easy to pull up. Cutting or breaking its stalk close to the ground, below the lowest nodule should also stop it. Uprooted plants should be piled up since, otherwise, they readily regrow.

A third consultation?

July 1st 2020: The planning application to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate across the Tame Valley is not fit to go to the next meeting of SMBC’s Planning Committee.

The developers, Quorum, are having to do further work on their application – so much so that it may have to go out to consultation for a third time.

A magnificent 790 comments were submitted in response to the first two applications. Our reward is that we may have to do it all over again to make sure that Woodley’s Tame Valley is protected from development.

Planning law says the developers must prove that there are “very special circumstances” justifying the destruction of this important green belt, and as we all know, there aren’t any.

Our thanks are due to Andrew Gwynne MP for staying on the case.

Blot on a future landscape

June 5th 2020: The fields of Woodley’s Tame Valley are centre stage in the view from the Hare & Hounds at the top of Werneth Low. The view would be scarred by the proposed extension of Bredbury Industrial Estate down the valley slope.

The developers Quorum attempt to dismiss the impact of the new giant warehouses on the landscape on the basis that they will be next to existing industrial buildings. In fact the new buildings will be much more prominent, being both bigger and rising up the hillside on terraces. The giant warehouse on the right at the front of the site will be 23 metres tall.

Quorum’s planning application is not ready for the meeting of the Werneth Area Committee of councillors on June 15. The meeting following is on 20th July, with a Planning Committee meeting to follow on 6th August.

May IMG_0883

May in bloom

May 17th 2020: Last year was brilliant for Hawthorn or May flowers and the red berries that follow. Perhaps this spring could be even better, judging by the white blossom everywhere in Woodley’s Tame Valley. These are the fields that developers want to concrete over in order to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate. The planning application could go to Stockport Council’s Werneth Area Committee on June 15th. The developers say that these fields are worthless for nature and biodiversity. A walk in the valley proves otherwise.

Slipping

April 27th 2020: The application to build large warehouses on the green belt in Woodley’s Tame Valley cannot now be dealt with by May 11th, which was the date originally set. The application could go to the Werneth Area Committee on June 15th.

Councils must deal with major applications within 13 weeks or risk action by the developer. However, the Covid-19 lockdown has added complications. Also, SMBC and the developer Quorum seem to be still haggling over aspects of the plan, so it’s conceivable there could be a longer delay. The latest version of the planning application was submitted in February.

Developers Quorum want to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate down the valley with great damage to peace and fresh air, nature, landscape and local roads (particularly the A6017).

Woodley Quorum plan copy B April

Dodgy developers

April 17th 2020: The much respected Cheshire Wildlife Trust has rebutted developers’ claims that extending Bredbury Industrial Estate would somehow improve biodiversity. The extension would concrete over green belt in the Tame Valley at Woodley.

The Trust highlights the developers’ failure to carry out a bird survey of the site despite the recorded presence of at least one priority endangered bird. The developers have produced a dodgy Biodiversity Assessment saying the land has negligible ecological value which could be improved by squeezing new trees and shrubs in among their proposed giant warehouses.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust disagrees and says that if the proposal goes ahead, there would be a net loss of biodiversity of 40 per cent or more.

The Trust has objected to the developers’ planning application which is due to be decided by Stockport Council by May 11th.

P1030829 crop

Stay safe

April 10th 2020: Bluebells are fine in a crowd this Easter time, but people need to keep six feet apart if not from the same household. The terrible death toll from Covid-19 requires us to carefully follow the rules if taking exercise in our green spaces. Patience may be necessary on paths to keep at a distance. Some places may have to be avoided altogether. Police will be enforcing social distancing.

The value of our green spaces to people during the pandemic should be remembered when Covid-19 has been overcome. Our valleys, woods, parks and footpaths are necessary and must be protected for health, life and hope. (Picture: Offerton 2017)

Crookilley Way Roundabout aerial

Murky announcement

April 3rd 2020: Light has finally been shed upon the announcement in the Government’s Budget three weeks ago that plans will be developed to relieve congestion in Stockport. The intention is apparently to undertake “junction improvements” for local motorways.

The intended improvements won’t take place until after 2025. No further details are available. Whether or not they would include M60 Junction 25 (pictured) at Brinnington/Bredbury is unknown.

The junction improvements were revealed as “in the pipeline” by the Government’s national 2020-25 road plan, published a few days ago. There was some surprise that the national plan appeared at all. It is likely to face a legal challenge on the grounds that climate change has not been taken into account. This follows a successful case on the same basis against Heathrow’s proposed third runway.

At the same time the Smart Motorways plan for the M60 through Stockport seems to have disappeared from official schedules at least until beyond 2025. Work was due to start in 2017 but is undermined by the lack of a hard shoulder to convert into a fourth lane for at least 750 yards in the middle of Stockport. In any case, who would want eight lanes of motorway through the town centre.

If Smart Motorways are fading from the Government’s agenda in Stockport, this would make any schemes to put more traffic on the M60 locally even more nonsensical. Such schemes include the current planning application to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate into green belt and the stalled proposal for a greenbelt-destroying A6-M60 Bypass.

Transport

Possible U-turn on roads

March 29th 2020: After decades of prioritising cars, the Government have quietly said that we need to shift to public transport to resist climate change. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52064509

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote in the Government’s Decarbonising Transport consultation document: “We will use our cars less and be able to rely on a convenient, cost-effective and coherent public transport network.” This was published two weeks after the Government said it would spend nearly £30 billion over the next five years building roads.

It is just a coincidence that the Government suggested the U-turn at a time when our roads are quiet because of the appalling Covid-19 tragedy. But maybe a legacy of Covid-19 will be that working from home becomes more normal, relieving rush-hour traffic.

If the country is shifting to public transport, schemes like Stockport’s proposed greenbelt-destroying A6-M60 Bypass should be completely removed from the agenda.

IMG_0768 walkies words

Keeping to the rules

March 27th 2020: If we take walks through green spaces during the Covid-19 crisis, are we showing the bulldog spirit or aiding the pandemic? There is some confusion and even police action in Lancashire and Derbyshire.

NHS England’s overriding message is “do not leave your home”. But Public Health England and the Government say that we can once a day “go for a walk or exercise outdoors if you stay more than 2 metres from others.”

The Ramblers Association interprets that “you are advised to only walk locally to where you live. You should walk alone or with people from your household.”

Problems seem to have occurred particularly when large numbers innocently converge on one place, in some cases apparently unprepared for the ground conditions. Some people have warned that Covid-19 could be passed on at gates or stiles on busy paths. Care should be taken.

There is a difference between rules for people who are believed to be well and can leave their homes only for essential activity such as daily exercise, and those with Covid-19 who must stay put absolutely.

Exercise is important for physical health, particularly for older people, as long as the appropriate rules are carefully followed. The picture is from Poise Brook Valley, Offerton.

aerial goyt valley 2016 with paths 7

Healthy exercise

March 20th 2020: Spring has arrived. We can enjoy it on local footpaths which remain open for daily exercise while avoiding unnecessary travel by car or public transport.

Stockport’s Lower Goyt Valley and other green spaces offer exercise, peace and fresh air to boost our immune systems, while we maintain necessary social distancing. On the map, the yellow lines are paths.

We need our green belt for health, so after the pandemic is over, let’s make sure we hang on to the Goyt Valley and the other local green spaces threatened by road builders and developers. (Revised March 24th)

M60 Bredbury combo

Take nothing for granted

March 20th 2020: No information is yet forthcoming about an announcement in the Government’s Budget two weeks ago concerning local roads. The Government said it would “develop plans to relieve congestion around South East Manchester”.

This strongly implies future road developments, including potentially the useless and destructive A6-M60 Bypass (between Hazel Grove and Bredbury). Because new roads create extra traffic, the A6-M60 Bypass offers no real cure for congestion but it would destroy Stockport’s beautiful Goyt Valley and green belt (pictured).

Over the last week, the financial side of the Budget has been swept aside, but transport announcements are still in place.

The pandemic has, like recent extreme climate events, shown that nothing that we have should be taken for granted. If we want green belt, we need to look out for it.

Sounds familiar

March 11th 2020: Today’s Budget produced no immediate money for putting a road through Stockport’s green belt. But the background documents worryingly promised to “develop plans to relieve congestion around South East Manchester”. This sounds a bit too much like SEMMMS – the South-East Manchester Multi-Model Strategy – which is another name for Stockport Council’s Bypass plans.

Of course, everyone wants less congestion in the area. This will not be achieved by building the A6-M60 Bypass (Hazel Grove to Bredbury), which would generate even more traffic. We need the Chancellor to invest in “levelling up” our public transport.

Road money?

March 6th 2020: The BBC were in Poise Brook Valley yesterday interviewing Debbie. The subject was the Government’s forthcoming budget, which will include extra money for transport projects in the North. Will this give Stockport Council the chance to apply yet again for money for their proposed A6-M60 Bypass which would wreck the beautiful Poise Brook Valley, and green spaces from Bredbury to Torkington?

At this time of heightened concerned about climate change and loss of nature, it would be a scandal if more money was to be made available for such destructive projects, rather than public transport improvements. The BBC’s report should run at 10am on Sunday in the North West (though it’s possible this may change due to news developments).

Don’t forget to write

March 2nd 2020: There are only five days left to submit objections to the latest plan to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate through the green belt of the Tame Valley. The deadline is next Saturday, March 7th.

Only new objections will be considered, not the 400 submitted for the previous planning application, or the 600 submitted to a similar scheme in the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. It’s unfair, but the only way to be heard is to object again!

The proposed massive warehouse and industrial units will dominate the area. There will be more noise, more massive trucks, traffic congestion and pollution.

To object, go to http://planning.stockport.gov.uk/PlanningData-live/ Find application 074399 and select Comments. Or email planning.dc@stockport.gov.uk quoting Reference DC/074399.

More details.

Tame Valley deadline

February 12th 2020: The developers have changed their planning application for Woodley’s Tame Valley in an attempt to push it through SMBC’s Planning Committee in April. We need to submit objections again, as 400 people did last autumn. The deadline is March 7. Find application 074399 via http://planning.stockport.gov.uk/PlanningData-live/ You will be asked to register before commenting.

There are many reasons to object to this destruction of green belt, including: 1. “Exceptional circumstances” are required to build on green belt. There are none. There is space for large industrial units at Ashton Moss just up the motorway at Junction 23. 2. The site is in the protected Tame Valley (though the developers pretend otherwise). 3. The threatened fields are important for endangered barn owls, and other wildlife. 4. Haughton Dale and Hulmes Wood nature reserves on the Tame’s opposite bank would suffer noise and disturbance. Botany Mill Wood Site of Biological Importance is right next to the site. 5. There would be extra traffic on local roads, and yet more HGVs coming from Denton.

Woodley update

Tame Valley in danger

February 12th 2020: The threat to the Tame Valley at Woodley has gained new urgency with the release of revised plans and an April date for Stockport Council’s meetings to consider them.

Developers Quorum are seeking permission to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate across green belt to the River Tame. Their original outline planning proposal was submitted last August. The website Place North West has drawn attention to the new plans and says they will be discussed in April. (See https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/quorum-details-430000-sq-ft-at-bredbury-gateway/#comments)

The Council’s Werneth Area Committee meets on Monday 20th April in Woodley, followed by the Planning Committee on Thursday 30th April at the Town Hall. These meetings precede the local elections, so councillors’ decisions can be judged by voters. Both committees also meet in March.

The Council’s Planning Portal shows scores of new documents accompanying the application (DC/074399). The most obvious change of plan is that the monster unit pictured in the developers’ illustration will be split into two, and this part of the plan will be considered in detail rather than outline so that work can race ahead – or so it is claimed.

Quorum had previously said that they had the monster unit virtually tied up with a single client. The revelation that this isn’t true should increase our scepticism about everything they say, and particularly their claims about jobs to be created. Even if the two units that are being fast-tracked do get built quickly, how many years will it be before the rest of the site delivers any jobs?

The new site plan indicates the serious impact on local traffic and residents by including 75 trailer parking spaces for Unit 1 and 58 spaces for Unit 2. The low bridge on Ashton Road forces high lorries to drive through Denton to reach the Industrial Estate.

flood wellington crop

The Mighty Poise

February 9th 2020: Poise Brook, which is normally so gentle, can be a flood risk – as it was during Storm Ciara. The Council’s consultants Mott Macdonald are now studying last summer’s flooding in the Borough, including from Poise Brook. Ideas from the consultants of creating flood overflow areas may come up against the fact that the land in Offerton through which the brook flows is reserved for the proposed A6-M60 Bypass (between Hazel Grove and Bredbury).

If the Bypass were ever built it would itself be a source of run-off and flood risks, so the Bypass plan contains its own overflow areas and ponds. Assuming for the moment that digging an overflow area is desirable, perhaps one of the Bypass ponds could be built without the rest of the Bypass plan, but it’s not likely to be that simple. For this and many other reasons, the Council needs to summon up the will to ditch the A6-M60 Bypass.

Smart motorway 2 with numbers

Dangerous delusions

January 31st 2020: The Government’s admission that Smart motorways are dangerous highlights a big flaw of Stockport’s two local road schemes. Both the new Airport Road A555 and the proposed A6-M60 Bypass (Hazel Grove-Bredbury) depend on the delusion that the already overloaded motorways can cope with the extra traffic that comes from new roads.

When the Airport Road/A555 was being planned it was admitted that, as a result, the M56 would need to expand to four lanes around the Airport. And if the A6-M60 Bypass were ever built, it would send yet more traffic down the A555 to the M56, as well as on to the M60.

The supposed solution was for the M56 to be made a Smart motorway whereby the protective hard shoulder is turned into a fourth lane along with variable speed signals.

A small section of the M56 around Junction 7 has already been made a four-lane Smart motorway (see picture) but Smartening the rest of the M56 between Junction 6 (the Airport) and Junction 8 is only just starting. That will now be halted along with all other work on Smart Motorways while the Government considers how to make them safe – or if this is possible.

Highways England has always maintained the extraordinary lie that Smart motorways are safer than other motorways. Now the organisation’s main idea for making Smart motorways safe is to install radar to spot broken down vehicles stranded on the carriageways, but there’s a problem – the radar is ineffective in heavy traffic.

Tram not Bypass

January 20th 2020: The news that a bid is being prepared to bring trams to Stockport is a further setback for the proposed A6-M60 Bypass. The huge cost of both schemes suggests that there could be one or the other but not both in the foreseeable future.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham yesterday announced the attempt to get Government funding for Stockport trams. The cost has been put at between £500 million and £1 billion. It’s far from clear that the Government would wish to put up such large sums but they have indicated sympathy with the aim of a Stockport tram link.

With both the Government and Greater Manchester Combined Authority seeing a tram link rather than a new road as the way forward, surely it’s time for Stockport Council to ditch its A6-M60 Bypass proposal. If the Bypass were ever built, it would pump more traffic onto Greater Manchester’s overcrowded roads, while also destroying beautiful green belt.

Stockport Council’s Labour leadership are disenchanted with the Bypass plan. However, the Lib Dems (who have as many councillors as Labour) need to make clear whether the Bypass is still their priority, despite the evidence against the scheme.

The envisaged tram link to Stockport (see optimistic illustration) would come from Didsbury. It would be part of the regeneration of central Stockport. For south/east Stockport it would offer the possibility of trams further into the future.

P1040871brookB

One of the best

January 20th 2020: Crookilley Wood, on the proposed A6-M60 Bypass route, has received some deserved attention from Manchester Evening News. The newspaper has included the wood among 14 “beautiful woodland walks across Greater Manchester”.

Crookilley Wood survived the construction of the M60. It should be treasured, not threatened. The Bypass scheme would cut into it at the top end on the way to Crookilley Roundabout. The scheme would also encroach on the west side by widening Crookilley Way. The A6-M60 Bypass (from Hazel Grove to Bredbury) has been refused Government funding three times so far, but Stockport Council may reapply for funding in a few years’ time. The MEN’s woodland walks are at https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/beautiful-woodland-walks-across-greater-17573955

Four old woods

January 11th 2020: The venerable age of four woods in Stockport’s Goyt Valley is indicated by tithe records from 1850. The four woods are included with names – a sign that they had already been there a while. Most other woodland is unnamed in the local records.

Royley Gill Wood (now Riley Wood) and Thistley Gill Wood are on the proposed destructive route of the A6-M60 Bypass; Goite Wood (on the path to the footbridge over the river) might also be hit by the bulldozers. Outlet Wood would be right next to the earth works.

The two dotted lines show the area likely to be dug up if the A6-M60 Bypass were to be built (according to calculations by architect James Dyson from the route plan). A dozen woods would be hit by the Bypass in total.

The Government has refused funding for the A6-M60 Bypass three times. Stockport Council’s next chance to apply for funding will come in a couple of years’ time.

Support better buses

December 30th 2019: There is only a week left to take part in the public consultation on better bus services for Stockport and Greater Manchester. It ends on Wednesday 8th January 2020.

The consultation is a chance to show support for bus improvements and to encourage the Government to provide some money.

Bus franchising is being proposed instead of the present free for all. We need better public transport rather than road schemes such as the A6-M60 Bypass which would destroy green belt and generate yet more traffic. Change is needed because use of buses in Greater Manchester dropped by 17% between 2007 and 2018.

The consultation is at https://www.gmconsult.org/strategy-team/gmbusconsultation/. There is a short form of nine questions to be filled in, or, alternatively, a long version of 48 questions. A consultation document provides further information. It’s lengthy but the Introduction and Executive Summary cover the major points.

Bus franchising would enable Mayor Andy Burnham’s Greater Manchester Combined Authority to fully plan the bus network with unified ticketing and integration with the rest of the transport system. Greater Manchester would plan the routes and bus companies would bid to run them. Franchising will cost £120 million to set up before the bus network moves into surplus.

Woodley-Gateway-CGI December

Tame Valley suspense

December 3rd 2019: There has been a slight pause in the progress of the appalling application to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate across the Tame Valley. In October, Stockport Express predicted that the application would be decided by Christmas. Now hearings cannot start until the new year.

When it happens, the application will start at SMBC’s Werneth Area Committee before proceeding to the Planning Committee. So far, November’s Werneth Area Committee was cancelled and the application is missing from next Monday’s Area Committee meeting. So attention turns to the Werneth Area Committee on 27^th January and the Planning Committee meeting on February 13^th.

Whenever the planning hearings take place, the councillors taking the decision need to know that that destruction of the Tame Valley is a matter of great public concern.

A555 flood oct 19 crop

What £290 million gets us

October 26th 2019: The A555 at Hall Moss Lane was closed yet again because of flooding today (Saturday). It was shut last April and also for a prolonged period in July/August. Since then new pumps have been installed costing £30K-plus in the dip around Hall Moss Lane bridge, but to no avail.

The flooded section is on the original A555 which was extended a year ago at a cost of £290 million. The drainage throughout the A555 should have been made fit for purpose, in the knowledge that extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent.

We need to stop building roads and other developments that interfere with natural drainage. Why is Stockport Council still wanting to further extend the A555 across two flood plains to Bredbury, as the A6-M60 Bypass? (Updated and corrected, October 30th.)

Goyt autumn Oct 19 river

Colour highlights

October 26th 2019: The woods and trees of Stockport’s Goyt Valley are in the process of changing to their glorious autumn colours. Stockport MBC’s officials and councillors should take a look while they are considering whether to confirm the Council’s policy of trying yet again to build the A6-M60 Bypass through the valley. Our petition to the Council to scrap the Bypass plan is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

Woodley owl square

Bio perversity

October 19th 2019:The developers seeking to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate across Woodley’s Tame Valley have produced a report on Biodiversity that falsely suggests the threatened area is a desert for wildlife.

In fact this is a rich hunting ground for birds of prey such as the kestrel and barn owl shown. Foxes and badgers are also attracted.

The fields are mainly used for growing hay rather than grazing which provides ground-nesting opportunities for birds like the skylark. Roe dear have been seen nearby.

Immediately next to the planned development is Botany Mill Woods, a protected wildlife site which would inevitably be affected.

The developers are applying to Stockport Council for planning permission to build on this area of green belt. Please send comments (up to October 24th) via the planning portal.

The application reference is DC/074399.

Woodley aerial looking east bridge

Hiding the problem

October 13th 2019: The developers trying to get permission to build across Woodley’s Tame Valley have produced a clearly misleading statement about traffic. Their proposed extension of Bredbury Industrial Estate will put an extra burden on congested local roads – a point that the developers seek to downplay in their planning application to Stockport Council.

Their expert transport assessment proposes to put traffic lights on the two M60 Junction 25 Bredbury roundabouts. But they choose to say nothing about the most notorious problem – the low railway bridge on Ashton Road (pictured) near Junction 25. This already forces tall HGVs on the M60 to access the Industrial Estate through Denton, and this would get worse if the Industrial Estate is extended.

The draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which also proposes to extend the industrial estate, says that the road under the bridge must be lowered, but Network Rail say this can’t be done. So the developers have resorted to hiding the problem.

Since the developers mislead about transport, we suspect that everything else they say may be dodgy too. Planning Committee members be warned!

You can object to extending the Industrial Estate across green belt by going to http://planning.stockport.gov.uk/PlanningData-live/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=PW6J0XPJKA500

No reverse gear

September 15th 2019: Sadly, Cllr Lisa Smart will continue to campaign for the Council’s A6-M60 Bypass plan despite it failing three times to gain Government funding. Lisa is Stockport Lib Dems’ deputy leader and candidate for Hazel Grove in the general election.

Lisa stated her position in reply to our question at last Thursday’s Council meeting. It’s a shame because Lisa is known for her involvement in local issues. Backing the Bypass is the wrong issue.

The Bypass would generate extra traffic, including in already severely congested High Lane (part of Hazel Grove constituency) and on the motorway at Bredbury. It would lead to more car journeys to Manchester Airport – bad for the climate as well as for congestion around the airport.

The Bypass would also devastate green belt, which Lisa has promised to defend.

Lisa referred to the bad pollution on Bents Lane, Bredbury but 16 years of promoting the Bypass has done nothing for this serious problem. It would be better to call for effective pollution controls.

Funding refused combo 2

Top failure rate

September 12th 2019: The Stockport Express last week had a big article on the latest refusal of Government funding for the A6-M60 Bypass. They didn’t add that this was the third refusal in three years, because they couldn’t find evidence of the first refusal.

Stockport Council doesn’t trumpet these refusals, but evidence does exist in the form of a written response by the Council leader to a question in January 2017. It confirms the Council applied in summer 2016 and was not on the list of successful applicants.

Three refusals in three years is a remarkable failure rate. It’s time the Council abandoned this useless scheme and instead committed to preserving the green belt of Hazel Grove, Offerton and Stockport’s Goyt Valley.

Our petition to the Council to scrap the Bypass plan is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

cricket ground aerial plus road

New neighbours

September 3rd 2019: The proposal for Bredbury St Marks Cricket Club to move to the north-west corner of Stockport’s beautiful Goyt Valley was approved by the Council’s Planning Committee last Thursday. Approval was also given for building on the club’s current ground in Woodley.

The move will bring more people into the valley to appreciate it – and realise how appalling the plan for a Bypass through the valley is. Run-off ponds and the emergency access road for the A6-M60 Bypass would be right next to the new cricket ground (see plan inset). Our petition to the Council to drop its Bypass plan (for which it has no money) is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

Change of plan needed

September 3rd 2019: I withdrew our question to Stockport Council’s Cabinet meeting yesterday (Tuesday) so that they can have another month to think about their floundering A6-M60 Bypass plan before they make a public statement.

We are asking them to abandon the Bypass and to make a new transport strategy without it. The Council have been pushing the Bypass (first under the Lib Dems and now under Labour) for 16 years, so we may have to allow them a bit of time to get it out of their system. But surely they cannot continue with a transport strategy that has the super-expensive Bypass at its centre, which year after year they beg the Government to pay for – and always get back the answer No.

This is a futile transport strategy for Stockport, without even thinking about the destruction the Bypass would do to our Goyt Valley (pictured), the extra traffic it would generate and the contribution it would make to climate catastrophe.

Our petition to the Council to drop the Bypass plan is athttps://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

Aerial whole route yellow flop x 3

Enough is enough

August 20th 2019: Stockport Council’s attempt to obtain Government funding for its A6-M60 Bypass plan has failed for the third time in three years. The Bypass was not on the Northern short list for road schemes which was due to go to the Government on July 31st. Previous attempts to gain funding were made in 2016 and 2018.

The news has not been publicly announced. There may be some sensitivity about yet another fiasco, coming at the same time as the Council’s A555/Airport Road was closed for nine days because it is unable to cope with heavy rain.

Officials at Stockport Council will be hoping to reapply for funding at the next opportunity. A final draft of the Council’s transport policy document SEMMMS Refresh has yet to be approved. The Council must be persuaded to take the Bypass out of this document to end this embarrassing saga and lift the threat to our beautiful valleys, fields and woods. Sign the petition at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

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Councillor slams Bypass

August 14th 2019: A leading Stockport councillor has lambasted the Council’s proposed A6-M60 Bypass. Cllr Sheila Bailey, who’s in charge of sustainability, wrote to the Stockport Express to say that the Bypass plan is ludicrous, damaging and outdated – and won’t solve anything. She says that climate change is here. “If ever there was a time to oppose bulldozing the Goyt Valley, it is now.”

A555 July 19 Earl Rd Bridge words

More water trouble

August 10th 2019: Sand has been leaching from the A555’s Earl Road bridge for the first time since the original A555 was closed for 14 weeks of repairs to the bridge last year. The bridge carries the A555 over Earl Road just west of the A34.

The leakage of sand and also water (see lower picture) suggests the failure of last year’s repairs to the drains. Leaks could wash away the sand filling behind the bridge walls. This might in turn lead to potholes forming in the carriageways. One pothole appeared earlier this year.

Since the completion of the longer A555 last autumn, the drainage system has had to cope with a larger runoff catchment area. This may have led to failure of the drains as well as to some of the recent prolonged flooding of the A555.

cricket ground aerial 2013

At the wicket

August 6th 2019: The plan for a cricket ground at the north-west corner of Stockport’s Goyt Valley is moving forward. The plan was first submitted in 2017. It goes to SMBC’s Werneth Area Committee next Monday (the 12th) at 6pm at Woodley Civic Centre before proceeding to the Planning Committee.

Bredbury St Marks Cricket Club is hoping to relocate from its present cramped ground in Woodley. This could be an opportunity to welcome more people into the Goyt Valley to defend it from the proposed Bypass, which would be next to the new ground.

On the other hand there are also concerns. The valley has so far been farming land. Could the cricket ground be the thin end of the wedge to more development? Could it weaken the argument that the valley is a special place?

Some of the elements of the cricket plan could be intrusive, such as an 8 foot school-type mesh security fence around it. The main problem area of the plan in the eyes of SMBC seems to be safe traffic access. Dark Lane bridleway would be widened at the entrance to the valley, next to Bredbury Hall.

The planning application is DC/066644 at http://planning.stockport.gov.uk/PlanningData-live/

A555 open again

August 6th 2019: The A555 was finally open in both directions yesterday evening following closure a week ago last Sunday. A Council statement yesterday evening said:

“The westbound section of the A555 from the Oil Terminal at Bramhall to the A34 junction at Handforth Dean has been reopened this evening, Monday. A lane closure and a 40mph speed limit will be in place so our engineers can continue to access the pumping stations on that stretch.

“The section of the westbound A555 from the A34 at Handforth to Styal Road, maintained by Cheshire East Council, is passable by driving up and down the slip road. Highways officers from Cheshire East Council are continuing to remove the flood water in the underpass at this location. Works will continue for the next few days fitting the new pumps.

£290 million for this

August 5th 2019: The A555 is in its NINTH day of closures. Stockport Council says it still is closed westbound from Chester Road roundabout to the A34. This is a major failure that shows the Council and its contractors have no idea about roads and climate change.

The A555 between the Airport and Hazel Grove was completed only last autumn at a cost of £290 million. Although the part still closed is in the original 1990s central section, its drainage would have been reviewed as part of the work ending last year.

Our petition to stop Stockport Council extending this dysfunctional road up to Bredbury (A6-M60 Bypass) is at https://www.change.org/p/stockport-council-remove-the-a6-m60-bypass-from-semmms-refresh-end-the-threat-to-our-valleys-and-fields

This has gone far enough

August 3rd 2019: The A555 is on course for a full week of closures since it was flooded last Sunday. The Council says the A555 is now open eastbound between the A34 and the big Chester Road roundabout, but the westbound side of this section will remain closed until Monday. There is a weather alert for tomorrow.

The week-long closures are staggering even against the background of widespread flooding last Thursday. Part of the original A555 section was closed for 14 weeks last year for drainage-related works during the long-drawn-out construction of the remainder of the road. So SMBC should have been aware of all drainage issues.

Day Five of closure

August 1st 2019: The A555 has now reached day 5 of closure – its second such closure since opening a year late last October.

To summarise: the original 1990s section was built in a dip and depends on pumps to deal with rain. When it is open, the A555 suffers congestion at both its Airport and A6 ends. It has caused severe congestion in High Lane and Disley, as well as illegal pollution. Macclesfield Road also jams (until Poynton Bypass opens).These major problems were all swept under the carpet when completion of the A555 was approved in 2013. In a time of escalating climate change we have built a £290 million road that isn’t rain proof.

Politicians in the Council (with the honourable exception of Cllr Bailey and some others) want to extend the A555 through a flood plain and up to the congested M60 at a cost of £477 million and huge destruction of beautiful places.

Our petition to stop Stockport Council’s A6-M60 Bypass plan is at https://www.change.org/p/stockport-council-remove-the-a6-m60-bypass-from-semmms-refresh-end-the-threat-to-our-valleys-and-fields (Photo by SMBC)

No place to hide

July 31th 2019: The A555 has been dogged by flooding from the torrential rains of June 2016 onwards through construction and including a closure four months ago. The current closure is in its fourth day this morning (31st July).

In building the A555 Stockport Council has ignored escalating climate change. It’s bad now, but what will it be like in a few years’ time?The middle section of the road was built in the 1990s. But this does not absolve from responsibility the politicians and officials who pushed through the completion of the A555 from Hazel Grove to the Airport in recent years. The likelihood of flooding has been ignored at all stages. It could even be argued that the period since the road opened last October has been relatively dry overall. It could have been worse!

Although the worst of the flooding is in the 1990s section of the A555, its drainage should have been upgraded as part of the Government-funded completion of the road from 2015-18. Some new pumping equipment is now belatedly being installed.

Of course, those responsible will claim this is just bad luck, and that they still know what they are doing. But how can anyone now believe in their plans to extend the A555 to Bredbury with the A6-M60 Bypass? Politicians in tomorrow’s Hazel Grove byelection: what do you have to say about this?Our petition to end Stockport Council’s support for the A6-M60 Bypass is at https://www.change.org/p/stockport-council-remove-the-a6-m60-bypass-from-semmms-refresh-end-the-threat-to-our-valleys-and-fields

Airport Road flood combo

In too deep

July 29th 2019: With the second closure of the new Airport Road because of flooding, it must be time for Stockport Council and all supporters of the A6-M60 Bypass to think again.

The A6-M60 Bypass would go through flood plains of Poise Brook and the Goyt at a time of escalating climate change. Such major road-building projects themselves contribute to climate change by generating more traffic across the road network and therefore more greenhouse emissions. In addition, the A6-M60 is designed to open up a new route from the M60 to the Airport, encouraging more flights and aviation emissions.

The Airport Road A555 was closed four months ago in Bramhall following torrential rain. This time a much longer stretch of the road was shut – between Macclesfield and Styal Roads. The drainage system is not fit for the times we live in because those who pursue these projects continue to ignore climate change and their part in it.

Stockport Council recently voted to recognise that there is a climate emergency. The first thing they need to do to show they mean it is to abandon their application for Government funding for the Bypass.

Byelection line-up

July 28th 2019: Stockport Council’s proposed A6-M60 Bypass will destroy green belt, generate more traffic, increase severe congestion in High Lane and produce more climate-change fumes. What do the candidates (pictured) in this Thursday’s Hazel Grove council byelection think?

1. Conservative: Oliver Johnstone backed the Bypass in 2017 when previously a councillor. If anyone has heard of a change in Oliver’s view, please let us know. The Conservatives generally support the Bypass, with a few exceptions.

2. Green: Mike Padfield is against the Bypass.

3. Labour: Julie Wharton is the candidate. Labour leads the Council and last March launched the latest attempt to get further Bypass funding from the Government. Most Labour councillors are against the Bypass, but with limited effect. Labour’s leaders say that they are asking for funding so that they can obtain more information about the Bypass. However, this information (aka a Business Case) would open up funding for construction.

4. Lib Dem: Charles Gibson backs the Bypass. The Lib Dems are strong supporters of the Bypass despite also saying they want to save the green belt. The few councillors who disagree are quiet.

It doesn’t have to be like this. Please support our petition to end Stockport Council’s support for the A6-M60 Bypass: https://www.change.org/p/stockport-council-remove-the-a6-m60-bypass-from-semmms-refresh-end-the-threat-to-our-valleys-and-fields

High Lane lorry combo

Illusion road

July 28th 2019: Apparently some people think a High Lane Bypass is part of Stockport Council’s A6-M60 scheme. It isn’t. High Lane will get the full impact of the resulting extra bad congestion. These are the key points:

An A6-M60 dual carriageway from Simpsons Corner to Bredbury will draw more traffic through High Lane – just like the Airport Road has done. Obvious solution: don’t build A6-M60.
A6-M60 is costed at a massive £477 million, so the Council won’t add a High Lane Bypass to the plan. It would become too expensive to ever get Government funding.
The Council’s new SEMMMS document says a High Lane Bypass would be needed – but should be built AFTER the construction of the A6-M60 Bypass.
There would be no guarantee that SEMMMS’ High Lane Bypass would ever be built, even if A6-M60 had been completed. A single-carriageway High Lane Bypass might cost £50 million or more.
A High Lane Bypass would inevitably generate extra traffic.
Under the vague SEMMMS proposal, a High Lane Bypass would feed directly into A6-M60 – thus reducing the problem of a High Lane Bypass depositing extra traffic in Hazel Grove.
The Council is unlikely ever to build a High Lane Bypass without A6-M60 because it would feed more traffic and congestion directly into Hazel Grove.
Inevitably if a High Lane Bypass was built, it would do great damage to green belt along its route.
A Poynton Bypass will be opened in a few years. This should take a bit of traffic away from High Lane – but won’t help if A6-M60 is built.

Hazel Grove green belt 2

Safe in their hands?

July 21st 2019: Will candidates in Hazel Grove’s byelection commit to preserving local green belt? The proposed A6-M60 Bypass route threatens some beautiful fields and woods along the northern edge of Hazel Grove from next to Sainsbury’s across to the edge of Torkington and down to Ox Hey where the A555 ends. The pictures show 1. View across fields near Sainsbury’s (access from permissive path on Bean Leach Road); 2. Wellington Mill Reservoir 80 metres from the route (access from Cooper Street), 3. Ochreley Brook (access from paths off Torkington Road); 4. fields looking towards Threaphurst Clough (access from path next to Torkington School). All deserve to be visited and protected.

Leaflets HG

Sharing information

July 13th 2019: The Council’s proposed A6-M60 Bypass is a big issue in the current byelection for a councillor in Hazel Grove. Some candidates continue to claim that the Bypass is a solution to local traffic problems. We have leaflets to distribute in the ward explaining that the Bypass would destroy Hazel Grove’s green belt, generate more traffic and add to the climate crisis. The leaflet avoids referring to particular parties or candidates. If you would like to help by posting some leaflets through doors in the ward, please message Goyt Valley SOS on facebook or email grahamwtrickey@gmail.com. We can send you fifty or a hundred or any other number of leaflets and suggest a street for delivering them in.

Aerial whole route overview yellow

It’s no solution

July 10th 2019: Candidates in the Hazel Grove byelection should level with the voters and admit: the proposed A6-M60 Bypass will not solve Hazel Grove’s traffic problems – any more than the new Airport Road has.

The Bypass would extend the new Airport Road through Hazel Grove’s green belt to Bredbury. It would attract AN INCREASING VOLUME OF TRAFFIC on both the Airport Road and on the A6-M60 Bypass itself. One of its aims would be to take new traffic from the M60 to the Airport.

Drivers would switch to the Bypass when it suits them but other major roads in Hazel Grove would REMAIN BUSY. The Bypass junctions in Hazel Grove would suck in drivers at Simpson’s Corner, at Torkington/Offerton Road and at the proposed Link Road next to Sainsbury’s.

Further on, the A6 through High Lane would become even more jammed up in peak hours.

The only sensible solution to too much traffic is to work to reduce it – not to build new roads that would generate yet more traffic.

Hazel Grove byelection copy words

Vote for this?

July 5th 2019: A byelection is taking place in Hazel Grove ward where some leading candidates will once again be calling for an A6-M60 Bypass. Such a Bypass would ruin or destroy Hazel Grove’s green belt – that is the part of the ward’s green belt that wasn’t lost to the recent construction of the A6-Airport Road.

The official route (outlined in yellow) goes through Sites of Biological Importance in Torkington and takes apart the green buffer between the north of Hazel Grove and Offerton. Peaceful Wellington Mill reservoir would find itself 80 metres from this major new dual carriageway. If you’re in Hazel Grove, please tell the candidates that you want to save Hazel Grove’s green belt.

Sites of Biological Importance are areas supposedly protected for wildlife. Apolgies and correction: we previously thought four SBIs were affected, but in fact a fifth site would suffer rerouted Torkington Road going through it.

The large pond-shaped area shown above Farndon Avenue is planned to take flood waters exacerbated by the Bypass.

Taking steps

June 28th 2019: On Sunday July 14th walkers will converge on the Tame Valley from Woodley, Denton and Haughton Green to oppose the expansion of Bredbury Industrial Estate. The recent Greater Manchester Spatial Framework proposed extending the industrial estate almost to the River Tame. The Tame Valley is supposed to be protected as important greenspace and wildlife habitats. Join the walks at Crown Point, Denton and Woodley Station at 2pm and at St Mary’s, Haughton Green and Woodley Precinct at 2.15pm. The walks end at the Arden Arms on Ashton/Stockport Road. See Save Woodley’s Greenbelt SK6 on facebook. The circled illustration is how the developer Quorum intends the Tame Valley to look.

Greater Manchester Map AA crop

Off the rails

June 26th 2019: Mayor Andy Burnham was challenged last Monday on the £70 million that Greater Manchester is thinking of putting into the A6-M60 Bypass plan. The Mayor was giving a speech on public transport improvements. The Bypass was shown in one of the transport maps that was handed out with the speech (see background of illustration).

Debbie, an active supporter of this campaign, told Mr Burnham that the Bypass would cost £500 million of which Greater Manchester is expected to contribute £70 million. Mr Burnham appeared unaware of these facts. He said that he wanted Greater Manchester to put its money into public transport and cycling.

We are still waiting for Greater Manchester’s crucial decision about Bypass funding. The A6-M60 plan would put more traffic on Greater Manchester’s congested roads, while destroying our beautiful green belt.

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Art for the valley

June 26th 2019: Art can help to protect our Goyt Valley and green belt from road-building plans. In the past, Stockport’s Goyt Valley was neglected by artists, but now David Chandler is making up for that. He has so far produced an etching and three paintings (including the painting shown) in defence of the valley. The more people see and appreciate the valley, the harder it will be to destroy it. See David’s art at https://dchandlersk2.weebly.com/

Cabinet responses

June 21st 2019: The public seats were full for questions about the Bypass funding application at last Tuesday’s SMBC Cabinet meeting. There were two fragments of good news: 1. Cllr David Meller, newly responsible for the scheme, signalled his personal doubts about it; and 2. Cllr Meller said Greater Manchester have still not promised a £70 million “local contribution”.

Initially the application has gone to regional quango Transport for the North. TfN already have SEMMMS (which includes the Bypass) on its list of priority schemes, so they have seemed likely to recommend that the Government fund it. But without Greater Manchester’s promised contribution, the funding application cannot go forward for the Government’s final decision.

TfN have a deadline “in the summer” for making recommendations for Northerm road-building and we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. So far, Greater Manchester’s hesitation in putting up £70 million is good news for the green spaces threatened by the Bypass.

Hostile to the environment

June 15th 2019: We will be going to Stockport Council’s Cabinet meeting next Tuesday (18th June 6pm) to ask them to withdraw SMBC’s shoddy application for Government funding for the A6-M60 Bypass. We will be asking why their application tries to ignore and disregard the damage the Bypass would do to the natural environment and particularly to the Goyt and Poise Brook Valleys. Please come and support our questions if you can for half an hour at Fred Perry House next to the Town Hall.

aeroplane 3B

Carbon route

June 8th 2019: Stockport Council’s application for funding to build the A6-M60 Bypass says we need a new connection from the motorways to the airport. But that’s the last thing we need.In ten years we could cross a point of no return to catastrophic climate change. Completing the connection from the M60 to the Airport would bring more traffic to the airport accompanying an expansion of flights. What is the Council thinking of? Last March councillors passed a motion calling for “climate emergency” action; instead Council officials are taking action to worsen the climate emergency. All the councils of Greater Manchester have a stake in the Airport which helps pay for Council services; that’s not a good enough reason for burning more fossil fuels or devastating nature and green spaces along the route of the A6-M60 Bypass. The Council’s Cabinet meets at 6pm on Tuesday, June 18th when we should get an update.

sun road 2 more words

Catastrophe

June 6th 2019: Climate change gases in the atmosphere increased at a quickening rate over the last year, according to the latest figures. At this rate the “tipping point” for unstoppable climate catastrophe will be reached in 2029, just ten years away.So why are Stockport Council officials trying to get money to build the A6-M60 Bypass which will put more vehicles on the roads?We desperately need less use of fossil fuels, not more. If electric cars, can help, why isn’t money being spent on thousands of charging points – not big new roads, like the £477 million A6-M60 Bypass? (See latest climate change figures: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/04/latest-data-shows-steep-rises-in-co2-for-seventh-year)

Councillors join the walk

May 12th 2019: We had a great afternoon on the walk through the endangered Goyt and Poise Brook Valleys on Sunday 12th May – thanks to all the many who took part. Seeing these beautiful places in their brilliant spring green, it seems unthinkable that they are being targeted for a £500 million road that would generate yet more traffic.

Councillors Sheila Bailey, Philip Harding, David Meller and Laura Clingan joined us for the event. The disturbing details of Stockport’s Council’s funding application to build the A6-M60 Bypass have yet to be aired in any Council meeting..

We will continue to seek information and point out the folly of the Bypass plans in the coming weeks, while the funding application is being considered by the Government’s quango, Transport for the North.

GMSF Romiley fields 4

Roads > building > roads

May 8th 2019: Stockport Council’s funding application for the A6-M60 Bypass promotes the road scheme as important for plans to build on green belt.

The application refers to plans for housing developments in Bredbury, Romiley, Godley Green (Tameside), Handforth and Cheadle Hulme as well as to the proposed expansion of the Bredbury Industrial Estate into the Tame Valley at Woodley. These are all proposals from Greater Manchester’s Spatial Framework with an additional large estate planned by Cheshire East at Handforth.

The above developments would all put more traffic on the roads. But the A6-M60 Bypass is no solution because it would also generate more traffic.

New roads typically lead to development along their route. The Bypass could also stimulate building out in Derbyshire and Cheshire which in turn would add to pressure on the roads, not just the Bypass.

Let’s protect our green belt. Our annual spring walk in the Bypass-threatened Goyt and Poise Brook Valleys this Sunday starts at 2.15pm from outside Bredbury Hall SK6 2DH. It will take ninety minutes or so.

Goyt Valley Walk cropped words

Enjoy!

May 8th 2019: Our annual Spring Walk through Stockport’s endangered Goyt and Poise Brook Valleys is happening this Sunday. Please come and enjoy this wonderful green space and help preserve it.

Stockport Council has just applied for money to put the A6-M60 Bypass through the valleys. The completed application form runs to eleven pages, with only 70 words on the environment. A question about how the Bypass scheme would enhance the natural environment is evaded: “Whilst the scheme will have environmental impacts, these will be mitigated.” It’s a staggeringly inadequate response at a time when nature is under threat as never before.

Sunday’s walk starts at 2.15pm from outside Bredbury Hall SK6 2DH. The full walk is three miles and takes around two hours but people can turn back to the starting point earlier.

Aerial view with road for words

Reckless haste

May 4th 2019: Stockport Council officials have set a breakneck timetable to start building the A6-M60 Bypass in mid 2024 – if the Government comes up with the money.
Starting building in 2024 won’t leave time for proper planning and preparations. It risks something worse than the construction difficulties suffered by the Airport Road from 2015 to 2018.

The Council has to have a 2024 start date in order to apply for the Government’s current pot of road-building money. But this date is too tight for such a large scheme as the Bypass.

The 2024 date suits the Council’s Bypass-supporting officers because it would rush councillors into taking decisions without considering the Bypass’s appalling impact.
The annual Spring Walk through the threatened Goyt Valley is on Sunday, May 12th, at 2.15pm from outside Bredbury Hall SK6 2DH.

Money to burn?

May 2nd 2019: The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is considering pouring millions into Stockport Council’s planned A6-M60 Bypass through the Lower Goyt Valley. Stockport Council is applying to the Government for most of the £477 million cost of the Bypass but has to produce a “local contribution” of 15% (ie £70 million).

The Council’s application form to the Government says the Combined Authority will decide “after the local elections in May” whether to approve a local contribution. If this is true, it is appalling that Greater Manchester is even thinking of spending its transport funds on the Bypass rather than useful public transport schemes.

If Greater Manchester agrees to provide £70 million, the Bypass plan’s chances would be seriously boosted. Conversely, refusal could undermine the application.

At this crucial time for our green belt, please support our annual Spring Walk through the Goyt Valley is on Sunday, May 12th, at 2.15pm from outside Bredbury Hall SK6 2DH

Blocked at both ends

April 29th 2019: Stockport Council is trying to push ahead with its A6-M60 Bypass, when even the “A6-M60” title signals that the road would be a fiasco.

The A6 in High Lane leads to the proposed start of the Bypass. It is completely bunged up at peak hours already. At the other end, the M60 in Brinnington/Bredbury is likewise jammed up. The Bypass would join the congestion together.

It is shocking that such an obviously hopeless plan has came back again, threatening Stockport’s Goyt Valley and green belt. Although the plan is nonsense, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Please support the annual Spring Walk through the Goyt Valley on Sunday, May 12^th, at 2.15pm from outside Bredbury Hall SK6 2DH.

flood goyt valley climate combo words

On the wrong road

April 29th 2019: We are on course to a climate disaster – which is much, much worse than a hot Easter. If, at this late stage, we want to avoid catastrophic climate change, we cannot allow another big road to be built through Stockport.

The A6-M60 Bypass will further increase use of cars and vans. For years to come most vehicles will emit greenhouse gases. It is simply madness to be ripping up countryside in order to burn more fossil fuels.

Temperatures rises are set to top 1.5 degrees by 2030, pushing the world into irreversible run-away temperature rises. We thought a succession of Climate Summits (the latest being Greatest Manchester’s own) had it sorted. In fact greenhouse emissions continue to rise. There is no time left to put off doing anything about this threat to human life.

The annual Spring Walk through the Goyt Valley is on Sunday, May 12^th, at 2.15pm from outside Bredbury Hall SK6 2DH. Our petition asking for the A6-M60 Bypass to be removed from Stockport transport plans is at https://tinyurl.com/GoytPetition

Magnifi-scent

April 24th 2019: Magnificent bluebells have been scenting woods over Easter weekend. There are many along the planned route of the A6-M60 Bypass between Torkington and Bredbury.

The bluebells pictured are in Highfield Wood (accessed from Highfield Avenue), seventy metres from the planned Bypass carriageway on the north eastern side of Stockport’s Goyt Valley. Bluebells and old trees grow along a stream on the edge of the Highfield Wood. Elsewhere in the wood, trees are younger, densely planted about 20 years ago.

New woods and trees are much needed to revive nature, absorb pollution and resist climate change. At the same time we need to protect the woods and green spaces we already have.

Preserve and enjoy

April 24th 2019: A sunny Easter weekend was a good time to appreciate Stockport’s Goyt Valley. Alan Newton Way (aka Dark Lane) is the main path. An extension around the back of Bredbury Hall to a new Goyt Bridge is not yet ready, so there’s still a bit of work-related mess outside Bredbury Hall. The planned Bypass route is shown on the map with little red dots but would, if it came to it, cut a swathe across the landscape. Let’s enjoy the valley Bypass-free.

What’s happening, what can we do?

April 17th 2019: Stockport Council is once again asking the Government for money to progress its A6-M60 Bypass plan (Hazel Grove-Bredbury). We held a meeting last week in Bredbury to talk about what can be done to stop this destructive, traffic-generating road gaining funding. We are distributing a leaflet (above).

Poise Brook April 19

Green and sparkling

April 17th 2019: In the spring sunshine, you can almost see the sap rising in Poise Brook Valley Woods and Nature Reserve. The woods are described on a Council notice board as “one of the most important woods in Greater Manchester”. So it’s appalling, distressing and unacceptable that the Council’s A6-M60 Bypass would take half the woods and shatter the peace of the remainder. On this year’s annual Spring Walk on Sunday May 12th we will be walking from outside Bredbury Hall (Dark Lane SK6 2DH) to the middle of the Poise Brook Valley before heading back. It’s three miles there and back and takes about two hours (though people can turn back earlier). The walk starts at 2.15pm.

Work still needed!

April 8th 2019: Photos from the £290 million Airport Road’s troubled Earl Road Bridge show a hole next to the carriageways and water leakage below. A bicycle pump slipped easily into the hole. A drainage leak is likely to be eroding filling from beneath the carriageway with potential risk to drivers. Repairs were attempted during a lengthy closure of this section of the original A555 last spring to avert possible eventual collapse of the bridge. Since the extended A555/Airport Road opened last October, the drains on the original A555 have been doing extra work. Responsibility for the bridge hovers between Cheshire East and Stockport Councils.

Can you spare anything?

April 5th 2019: Stockport Council says it has reapplied for Government funding for its A6-M60 Bypass (Hazel Grove–Bredbury) plan. But it remains tight-lipped about the £70 million that locally we would have to pay to bulldoze the beautiful Goyt Valley (pictured) and build the road.
The guidance from the Department for Transport says clearly that such road schemes “should aim for the local or third-party contribution to be at least 15%…” That’s 15% of £477 million (the official estimated total cost).
Stockport Council doesn’t have a spare £70 million. Maybe it could borrow it. Or perhaps the Greater Manchester authority would help from its transport funds, instead of investing in our public transport.

Travellers Call Bridge Plan 1990 crop

Nightmare on Stockport Road West

March 29th 2019: This official artist’s impression from 1990 shows a motorway flyover smashing through the Traveller’s Call (to the left) in Lower Bredbury. The flyover would have spread noise and pollution over the area.

The planned motorway (known as A6M) was a massively intrusive version of the current plan for an A6-M60 Bypass from Hazel Grove to Bredbury through the Goyt Valley. Like the M60, the A6M would have become overloaded at peak times, forcing traffic back on to local roads.

Mercifully A6(M) was cancelled, but more than 20 years later we are threatened by the slightly scaled down A6-M60, as if we’ve learnt nothing in the intervening years about how new roads spread congestion and traffic domination.

Our petition to remove the A6-M60 Bypass from the Council’s SEMMMS transport plan is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete More about A6(M) at https://stockportbypassfacts.com/it-wont-work-2/tragicomic-junction-25/

Goyt Bluebell combo

The question they can’t answer

March 26th 2019: Stockport Council is trying again to get money from the government to advance its plan for the A6-M60 Bypass through the Goyt Valley. The Bypass will destroy local green spaces, generate more traffic and cost a fortune. We’ll be going to question time at the full Council meeting at the Town Hall on Thursday 6pm to ask why the Council is refusing to consider the impact of the Bypass on the environment. Please support our petition to remove the A6-M60 Bypass from the Council’s SEMMMS transport plan: at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete (Pictures: Poise Brook Valley and artist’s impression of site clearance)

flood goyt valley combo

Flood plain stupid

March 18th 2019: Last Saturday Stockport’s Goyt Valley flooded next to Goyt Hall Farm (see pictures). At the same time, over in Bramhall the A555 Airport Road was under water despite just having had £290 million spent on it.

Stockport Council is making a renewed attempt to get Government funding to build its A6-M60 Bypass through the Goyt Valley and Offerton green space. Quite apart from the destruction of green belt, does it make any sense to build a big road through these flood-prone areas?

Do we trust the Council’s consultants and road-builders to overcome the flood risks? Because of climate change, flooding is becoming increasingly frequent. Please support our petition to remove the A6-M60 Bypass from the Council’s SEMMMS Refresh transport plan: at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

Goyt Hall Farm square words

The Bypass is back

March 15th 2019:

Our question to SMBC’s Cabinet last Tuesday revealed that the Council is making a renewed attempt to get Government money for its planned A6-M60 Bypass through Stockport’s wonderful Goyt Valley and other important green spaces.

The road would be massively expensive and destructive while attracting more traffic across Stockport to the M60 – the last thing anyone needs!

The Government has already said that the A6-M60 Bypass plan is too expensive. In the Council’s latest move, it is hoping to use support from northern regional transport bosses to overcome the Government’s doubts. The Council is asking for a first installment of funding for further preparatory work, but if that work was completed, construction could follow rapidly.

Please support our petition to remove the A6-M60 Bypass from the Council’s SEMMMS Refresh transport plan: at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

Badger toll

March 12th 2019: Our questions to Stockport Council’s Cabinet meeting this evening:
1. The blocking of access to wildlife tunnels under the new Airport Road has led to many deaths of badgers and put drivers at risk. Please would you explain why no action was taken to resolve the problem despite it having been raised with you last October?
2. The first draft of SEMMMS Refresh admitted that building the A6-M60 Bypass would further worsen the dire congestion in High Lane to the extent that a High Lane Bypass would be needed. Isn’t it folly to continue pushing forward with the A6-M60 plan?

The meeting is at 6pm at Fred Perry House. Live webcast at https://stockport.public-i.tv/core/portal/home Our petition to remove the A6-M60 Bypass from SEMMMS Refresh is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete (The picture is a composite, not an A555 incident.)

Goyt Valley aerial angle 2 smaller

Bypass reverse

March 7th 2019: At yesterday’s Marple area meeting, councillors and the public were strong in their opposition to building on green belt. Discussion also took on the proposed greenbelt-destroying A6-M60 Bypass (which would extend the A555 Airport Road to Bredbury through the Goyt Valley, pictured). All the councillors were elected for outright pro-Bypass parties – namely the Lib Dems and Conservatives (though Cllr Blair is now an independent). So what do they think now?

Cllr Dowse (Conservative) said he no longer backed the Bypass because the mitigation measures to ease the impact of the A555 hadn’t happened; the Bypass would be chocker in seven years; and you build more roads, you get more congestion.

Cllr Blair said he had stopped supporting the Bypass because of the impact it would have on High Lane. Cllr Allen replied indirectly: he agreed with the Council’s recent public health report cautioning against more road-building. Cllr Finnie (Conservative) remained in favour of the Bypass unless a public transport alternative could be offered.

We’ve still got a way to go to get Stockport Council to abandon its Bypass obsession, but we’re making some progress!

GMSF march 2&3 combo

Put your foot down

March 5th 2019: Three mass walks to save our green belt took place last weekend in east/north-east Greater Manchester. In the biggest of the events, walkers from five villages converged on Tandle Hill, Oldham. TV coverage was provided by Granada, who also reported from the walk at Bamford, Rochdale. The third walk toured threatened green belt in Tameside, including Apethorn and Bowlacre on the Stockport border.

There are 12 days left to to comment on plans to erase green belt across Greater Manchester – including proposals to destroy greenbelt at Heald Green, High Lane, Offerton, Romiley, Woodford and Woodley in Stockport. The public consultation (ending March 18th) is at http://www.gmconsult.org (Greater Manchester’s Plan for Jobs, Homes etc). Select Get Started! > About you + Stockport etc.

Woodley meeting

Packed out in Woodley

March 5th 2019: Last Saturday’s meeting in Woodley Civic Hall (see picture) was standing-room-only to protect the green belt of the Tame Valley.

Spatial Framework undermined

March 1st 2019: The Spatial Framework plans for building on green belt are in disarray after an apparent change in Government policy.

Mayor Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester’s council leaders justified the Spatial Framework by saying that they had to build on green belt in order to follow rules laid down by the Government. But last week Government minister Kit Malthouse said the rules were really not that strict and the leaders of Greater Manchester could work around them.

The dispute concerns how Greater Manchester’s future need for housing is worked out. The Spatial Framework uses out-of-date inflated estimates for the number of extra homes needed over the next 20 years. If the Government is now saying those inflated figures don’t have to be used, then the Spatial Framework’s plans for building on green belt have lost any justification.

There’s a simple message from all this: the green belt can be saved if people object to Spatial Framework proposals, at http://www.gmconsult.org

(The picture shows proposed greenbelt loss at Tangshutt Fields, Romiley.)

Urban sprawl

February 22nd 2019: Green belt separating Woodley (Stockport) and Gee Cross (Tameside) will be much reduced if the Spatial Framework gets away with proposals to build on fields at Apethorn and Bowlacre, either side of Stockport Road. The Save Apethorn & Bowlacre Greenbelt campaign had a great turnout for their meeting last Thursday evening at Gee Cross Community Centre (see picture). They are preparing for ‘The Save Tameside Greenbelt Walk’ on Sunday 3rd March at 12 noon from McDonald’s at the Hattersley Roundabout.

The new houses at Apethorn and Bowlacre would send more traffic down the congested A560 to Bredbury and the illegally polluted Stockport Road West. To comment on greenbelt plans go to www.gmconsult.org and select “Greater Manchester Plan for Homes, Jobs and the Environment” > “Get started!” > “About you” and “Allocations”.

offerton school 3

A bad plan

February 15th 2019: Green belt next to the Poise Brook Valley Nature Reserve will lose protection as part of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. Two hundred and fifty homes and a new school are proposed for a site on the edge of Offerton (outlined in red). Officially it’s within the Goyt Valley Landscape Character Area.

The main existing building here is Castle Hill High School which has a fine field (on the right of the picture). The school will remain and perhaps its field will also be untouched. But why remove greenbelt protection if there is no intention sooner or later to build something on it?

Lisburne School will relocate into the site. Presumably the 250 new homes will be squeezed into the west of the site where some existing structures may be demolished. The new homes will inevitably create extra traffic in side streets and on badly congested Marple Road. The only public transport is buses.

More details may be revealed at the Council’s drop-in session on Tuesday, 19th February 6-8.30pm at Offerton Community Centre, Mallowdale Road SK2 5NX.

Heald Green big meeting

Standing-room only

February 15th 2019: A packed-out meeting in Heald Green last Tuesday opposed proposals to reduce local green belt by half. The Greater Manchester Spatial Framework allocates 1,700 homes on green belt in the area and puts a road through the village green. Extra traffic will add to congestion and illegal pollution on the A34. Nearby Cheshire East Council is planning 1,700 homes in “Handforth Garden Village”.

The main message coming from last Tuesday’s meeting was that everyone should take part in the public consultation on the Spatial Framework proposals. Go to www.gmconsult.org and select “Greater Manchester Plan for Homes, Jobs and the Environment” > “get started” > “about you” and “11h Stockport”.

In Stockport, there are proposals to build on green belt in High Lane, Offerton, Romiley, Woodford and Woodley (two), as well as Heald Green (two). The latest forecasts for housing need indicate that Greater Manchester does not need to build on any green belt. The public consultation closes on March 18th.

Woodley leafletcombo display

Tell them No

February 14th 2019: Leaflets are being given out around Woodley opposing the extension of Bredbury Park industrial estate through green belt in the Tame Valley. The proposal is part of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.

The leaflet says that extending the industrial estate “will destroy the peace and beauty of the Tame Valley; wreck wildlife habitats; bring yet more traffic into the area; and loom over Hulme’s Wood and Haughton Dale Nature Reserves”.

Please take part in the public consultation continuing until March 18th at www.gmconsult.org (select “Greater Manchester Plan for Homes, Jobs and the Environment” > “get started” > “About you” and “11h Stockport”).

Save Woodley Bredbury SK6 Greenspace facebook group is holding a public meeting at 2.30 on Saturday March 2nd in Woodley Civic Hall.

Metroshuttle_bus

Keep the bus going

February 14th 2019: Stockport Council intends to scrap the free 300 Metroshuttle bus from April. The Council has severe financial constraints but this is a short-sighted cut. The bus is vital for elderly people and others with mobility restrictions who visit the town centre to shop. It is the only service linking the station, the bus station, Merseway, the old town and Tesco.The town centre is struggling – it needs visitors. More generally, we need better public transport not worse, to loosen the stranglehold of traffic on our town without building self-defeating, greenbelt-destroying new roads. Distressed passengers have been queuing up in the town centre to sign a petition to keep the 300. You can sign the petition online at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-the-stockport-metroshuttle-free-bus-service?fbclid=IwAR3H9x5DVn75ThkhJ62rscRyzju85smWQB_7Y8NLUq83A-jCon26tDay0BQ

GMSF Royton

Don’t leave it to someone else

February 9th 2019: The official drop-in session for Spatial Framework anti-greenbelt proposals in Royton, Oldham was a full house last Thursday evening (see picture). See below for drop-in sessions in Stockport.

Read and give your views on Spatial Framework proposals at www.gmconsult.org (“Greater Manchester’s Plan for Jobs, Homes and the Environment”, keep scrolling down if using a mobile).

If the Spatial Framework were to insist on using the latest housing need forecasts rather than out-of-date ones, every proposed loss of greenbelt in Greater Manchester could be withdrawn.

All Stockport greenbelt proposals are worthy of comment. Apart from destroying greenbelt, they will increase local traffic and congestion. Please also go to the Transport section to say you oppose the A6-M60 Bypass – the edited Transport section that you will see hides the A6-M60 proposal which can only be seen in the full document which hardly anyone will look at!

As far as we know, you are only allowed one shot at responding to the Spatial Framework.

Stockport’s drop-in sessions are: in Heald Green Christ Chuch Hall 2-5pm Tuesday 12th Feb; Heald Green Village Hall 6-8.30pm Wednesday 13th Feb; Cheadle Hulme the Kitchen, 5 Warren Road 9.30am-1pm Saturday 16th Feb; Offerton Community Centre 6-8.30pm Tuesday 19th Feb; High Lane Village Hall 3-8.30pm Tuesday 26th Feb; Woodford Community Centre 4.30-8.30pm Monday 4th March; Woodley Civic Hall 5-8.30pm Thursday 7th March. There’s also one in Romiley unpublished.

High Lane lorry 3

It won’t work!

February 9th 2019: Building new roads can’t cure congestion, says Stockport Council’s annual Public Health Report. This is the very same Council that is desperately chasing money to advance its plans for the A6-M60 Bypass through the Goyt Valley. Fortunately there are some people inside the Council who have independent minds.

The report from the Council’s Public Health Department/Team says that where new road space is created it will be taken up by extra traffic. This applies both to the new road itself and roads that become less congested because traffic has switched to the new road. Where traffic jams temporarily are reduced, growth of traffic will resume until congestion again takes hold. The Public Health report says that only a systematic improvement in public transport could counteract this process. Our petition against SEMMMS Refresh’s useless, greenbelt-destroying Bypass plan is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

town hall thinking

The folly goes on

February 6th 2019: Stockport Council says it is thinking about whether to reapply this year for money to take forward the A6-M60 Bypass scheme. The Government is asking for applications to its Large Local Major Roads funding scheme. The Council’s Cabinet said last Tuesday that they had until July to apply and they were “currently assessing whether A6-M60 fits the criteria”.

The A6-M60 Bypass is a road scheme that’s so hopeless and expensive that its supporters in the Council are not sure they want to risk being turned down again. But they’re not giving up. The road is included in the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, the new Greater Manchester Transport Strategy Delivery Plan and Stockport’s own SEMMMS Refresh., looking towards 2025 and beyond. For how much longer must this threat hang over Stockport’s Goyt Valley and green belt? Our petition against SEMMMS’ Bypass plan is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

GMSF drop-in Woodhouses Oldham

Please give us the facts

February 6th 2019: The authorities are holding drop-in sessions across Greater Manchester for people to talk to planning officers about the Spatial Framework’s proposals to build on green belt. They were queuing out of the doors in Woodhouses, Oldham (see picture) to raise their concerns. The information provided by the Spatial Framework is so inadequate that asking planning officers what’s happening may be the only way of getting some facts.

In Stockport Borough the first drop-in session was at Hazel Grove on Tuesday 5th February. The others are Reddish, Houldsworth Sports Village 6-8.30 Thursday 7th; Heald Green Christ Chuch Hall 2-5pm Tuesday 12th Feb; Heald Green Village Hall 6-8.30pm Wednesday 13th Feb; Cheadle Hulme the Kitchen, 5 Warren Road 9.30am-1pm Saturday 16th Feb; Offerton Community Centre 6-8.30pm Tuesday 19th Feb; High Lane Village Hall 3-8.30pm Tuesday 26th Feb; Woodford Community Centre 4.30-8.30pm Monday 4th March; Woodley Civic Hall 5-8.30pm Thursday 7th March. A session has been added in Romiley but the details are unpublished.

GMSF Jayden

Tell them what you think!

February 6th 2019: Don’t delay in writing to oppose unnecessary plans to scrap green belt (at www.gmconsult.org). The Manchester Evening News reports (with photo below) that…..

A 10-year-old boy has written a heartfelt plea to save the land where he rides his beloved ponies from being transformed into a huge ‘garden village’.

The revised Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, unveiled last month, would see around 2,790 homes and 175,000sqm of employment space built on land designated as green belt in Tameside. Some 2,350 homes could be built as part of the massive Godley Green ‘garden village’ plan.

For Godley Community Primary Academy pupil Jayden Smith, it would see him lose the land around Green Lane farm where he rides his ponies Maddie and Flicker.
Jayden decided to write to bosses at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) about the proposals.

“It’s a bad idea Green Lane could be going,” he wrote. “I really enjoy going down it to see my horses and it’s been part of my life for three years.
“I enjoy blackberry picking in the summer it makes me happy with the nature around me and that I can go free with my imagination.”
https://tinyurl.com/MENJayden

handforth garden wider still

Congestion booster

January 29th 2019: Proposals for building in Heald Green/Stanley Green/Handforth would shrink the green belt in an area already stressed by heavy traffic, dual carriageways, motorways and pollution.

The new version of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework earmarks sites for 850 homes in Heald Green and 850 in Stanley Green nearby. These are still major developments despite being a reduction on the original Spatial Framework. Separately Cheshire East Council is planning 1,700 homes in a “Handforth Garden Village” on the other side of the A555, outside the Spatial Framework area. It’s sometimes said that green-belt destruction follows new roads. Here’s the proof!

There’s talk of a new railway station at Stanley Green and a “rapid transit” bus route. But it is clear that these three sites would add to the overloaded state of Stockport’s roads, leading to demands for yet more new roads (such as the greenbelt-destroying A6-M60 Bypass). Heald Green Ratepayers Association has a public meeting (Tuesday, 12 February in Heald Green Village Hall at 7.30pm).

Comment on the Heald Green/Stanley Green proposals at https://www.gmconsult.org/communications-and-engagement-…/…/ (select “get started”, “About you” and “11h Stockport”, and scroll down if using a mobile. A couple of sentences will suffice; more if you prefer) . See Save Stockport SK7 and SK8 Greenbelt at https://www.facebook.com/savinglocalgreenbelt/

Design for queuing

January 24th 2019: The havoc at the A555’s two notorious new junctions, at Macclesfield Road and Chester Road, is bad enough. But expect these troubles to be multiplied at the junctions of the A6-M60 Bypass, if it is ever built.

Like the two notorious A555 junctions, all the A6-M60 Bypass junctions would have traffic lights on the carriageways, rather than having motorway-style slip roads. (Flashes mark the junctions on the map). Peak-hour congestion would be inevitable, spreading out from the Bypass on to local roads.

The A6-M60 Bypass designers have chosen traffic-light controlled junctions for a reason. The resulting queues are intended to deter traffic from cutting through from the motorways.

Otherwise, a faster road could attract so much traffic that extra lanes and other costly redesigns would be needed. Already the Bypass is impossibly expensive.

On the A555, there have been massive tailbacks and some accidents (Macclesfield Road) and numerous collisions (Chester Road/oil terminal).

At last week’s Stockport Council meeting, Cllr Paul Ankers (Hazel Grove) and Rachel from Goyt Valley SOS both raised what has been happening at the A555 junctions. Cllr Ankers referred to last week’s fatality at the Macclesfield Road junction.

Should SEMMMS spread the chaos up to Bredbury? Our petition against SEMMMS’ greenbelt-destroying Bypass is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

woodley upended slidey arrows

Pointless destruction

January 26th 2019: The extension of Bredbury Industrial Estate into green belt is “completely unnecessary”, according to Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish.He is urging people to “vehemently oppose” the proposal, which is part of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF).

Mr Gwynne says “the GMSF identifies too much land for future commercial use across the [Greater Manchester] conurbation, way above the projected need or demand for sites.” The extension would take the industrial estate across fields (in the top picture) to the River Tame – supposedly a protected river valley. The bottom illustration by developers is intended to make the extension look nice!

The GMSF Consultation is at https://www.gmconsult.org/communications-and-engagement-team/gmsf/. Select “get started”, “About you” and “11h Stockport”

goyt autumn vista 1000 combo

Real answers needed

January 23rd 2019: People in Bredbury and Romiley are debating the proposed A6-M60 Bypass. It’s no solution for our traffic woes because:
1. In Bredbury, the M60 itself shows that new roads can cause severe problems.
2. Bredbury already has one monster polluting road. Does it need more?
3. The Bypass is massively expensive (£500 million), reducing the chances of it ever happening, even if we wanted it. The plans are already 14 years old.
4. Meanwhile nothing has been done to reduce congestion and pollution around Bent’s Lane and Stockport Road West by, for example, improving the road layout.
5. Official forecasts made in 2004 indicate that the Bypass could carry up to 50,000 EXTRA vehicles daily that aren’t currently going through Bredbury.
6. That’s 50,000 vehicles daily adding to pollution around the Traveller’s Call.and jamming up Crookilley Way roundabout (which would be rebuilt with 17 sets of traffic lights!).
7. The Bypass would go through Lower Bredbury in a tunnel, but the OFFICIAL Bypass Business Case in 2017 warned of difficulties. A gap in the middle might be needed.
8. When new roads are built or when traffic is reduced on existing roads, extra traffic fills the space. This is officially called “induced traffic”. The Bypass would cause it.
9. The A6-M60 Bypass would be much busier than the new Airport Road A555. If the Bypass is built, the A555 will itself become much busier.
10. Politicians have used the Bypass to get votes – so £350,000 was found for a Bypass Business Case just before the 2015 General Election, but not £500 million to build it. How gullible are we?
11. We would lose beautiful countryside and wildlife habitats for ever, in the forlorn hope of gaining short-term benefit for traffic.

The stakes are high

January 22nd 2019: Stockport Council said last autumn that reapplying to the Government for funding for the A6-M60 Bypass was “a waiting game”. Just two months later comes the Council’s next chance to get funds to put its appalling dual carriageway through Stockport’s beautiful Goyt Valley.

The Government has opened a new funding competition for road schemes. The rules have been changed so that the various applicants get whittled down by regional bodies. Transport for the North is responsible in the north of England. It already generally backs the Bypass, but maybe not in preference to other contenders for funding.

As the Government said last year, the Bypass is very expensive. So far, the relevant national fund for Large Local Major Schemes has shared out £600 million between NINE roads. The A6-M60 Bypass may need £600 million just for itself.

Will Transport for the North think it’s worth it for a scheme that will create congestion (in High Lane, Offerton and at the M60) and wreck the environment? The Bypass has already been twice refused funding for its next business case. Will the Council risk a third attempt, or will it finally admit that the scheme is destructive and useless?

Our petition against SEMMMS Refresh’s Bypass plans is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete

high lane meeting

Pollution versus green belt

22nd January 2019: A big meeting was held in High Lane last Saturday to oppose loss of green belt for a 500-home development. The new version of Greater Manchester Spatial Framework has reduced the proposed development from 4,000 in the first draft. The proposed location has also changed. The new proposed site fronts on to both sides of the A6 adjacent to a section of the road that is above legal limits for air pollution. The pollution is emphasised in posters displayed outside local houses. The air pollution reading was taken BEFORE the A6 received extra traffic from the opening of the Airport Road A555, which terminates not far away. The proposed housing site is undermined (literally) by half a dozen former pit tunnels and faults. William Wragg MP was at the meeting. The local campaign is https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaveStockportsGreenbelt/

‘Still analysing’ six months later

20th January 2019: Last week we went to the Stockport Council meeting to ask why Greater Manchester’s Spatial Framework building plan includes the A6-M60 Bypass when 1. the Council has not yet responded to last summer’s public consultation about SEMMMS Refresh (which has the Bypass at its core); and 2. the Government says the Bypass is too expensive to build.

Council leader Alex Ganotis answered that nothing has been decided (believe it or not) and the public’s responses to SEMMMS Refresh are “still being analysed”. Apparently it’s a long job. Maybe there’s some problem with what people said!

SEMMMS has already got a reputation for delivering behind schedule. To help make sure the Bypass is never delivered, our petition against SEMMMS’ plans is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete. The Greater Manchester Spatial Framework Consultation is at https://www.gmconsult.org/communications-and-engagement-team/gmsf/ SEMMMS Refresh is on page 192 and Stockport greenbelt proposals are from page 304 onwards.

Please tell us!

January 16th 2019: We are going to tomorrow’s (Thursday) full Council meeting to ask questions:

about why the A6-M60 Relief Road is included in the new Greater Manchester Spatial Framework building plan and
asking what action the Council is taking in response to the stream of accidents at the Fiveways and Chester Road junctions of the new Airport Road..

The Council Meeting is in Stockport Town Hall starting at 6pm (Thursday 17^th Jan). If you would like to attend to give support, we will be meeting in the foyer by 5.50pm. Questions will be over by 6.45pm.

On the GM list

January 12th 2019: The A6-M60 Bypass is creeping forward again. The Goyt Valley-destroying scheme is included in Greater Manchester’s new Transport Strategy, somehow shaking off last year’s rebuff from the Government. The Bypass makes it into the Transport Strategy even before Stockport Council has signed off its SEMMMS Refresh, which centres on the Bypass. The Refresh has yet to reappear after being the subject of much as yet unpublished comment in a consultation last year.

The Transport Strategy includes the Bypass in a list of schemes, as yet unfunded, that would be taken forward from 2025 onwards – so someone still has to come up with £500 million-plus. The Bypass has obvious problems 1. It will flatten wonderful countryside 2. It’s massively expensive for what it is. 3. It would create new traffic issues: around the M60, in congestion on the Bypass itself and on connecting roads, notably High Lane. The GM Transport Strategy does NOT include a High Lane Bypass proposal. Our petition against including the A6-M60 Bypass in SEMMMS’ new plans is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete See the GM Transport Strategy at at https://www.gmcameetings.co.uk/meetings/meeting/642/joint_gmcaagma_executive_board

spatial framework a6-m60

Road space too

January 9th 2019: This time around, the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework is saying it really does take the environment seriously. But that all collapses when we turn to the Stockport development map (on page 351) – including the proposed greenbelt-destroying A6-M60 Bypass. They’re a bit unsure how they’ll get the funding for this mega-expensive dual carriageway. So a caption on the map says “Develop the investment case”, or, to put it another way: try to think of a good reason why taxpayers should spend more than £500 million on destroying the Goyt Valley.

Another report being considered by Greater Manchester council leaders this Friday, sets a target of no more growth in road traffic – for the sake of our health and the future of the planet. How could that be achieved by investing transport millions in big new roads? Our petition against including the A6-M60 Bypass in SEMMMS’ new plans is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete See maps of the Spatial Framework’s proposals for building on Stockport’s green belt from page 351 onwards at https://www.gmcameetings.co.uk/meetings/meeting/642/joint_gmcaagma_executive_board

The Framework uncovered

January 8th 2019: The new draft of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework has been published by Mayor Burnham and the region’s council leaders. Across Greater Manchester, proposals to build houses on green belt have been halved but still contain some very large developments. In Stockport borough, as feared the proposal to expand Bredbury Industrial Estate remains as before. All the previously proposed housing sites in the borough also remain but with reduced housing numbers. In total, 3,700 homes (correction from previous correction) would be built on green belt in the borough over the next 20 years, rather than the 12,000 in the first draft of the Framework. New housing sites have been added in Offerton, Romiley and Woodley. A new mayoral development corporation will develop “brownfield” housing in the town centre.

The green belt proposals are:

Woodford Aerodrome 750 homes – in original plan, now substantially reduced from 2,400.

Stanley Green 850 homes, down from 3,700 originally.

High Lane 500 homes, down from 4,000 previously. Less greenbelt taken north of A6; new proposal south of A6 next to Middlewood Road.

Heald Green 850 homes, down from 2,000. New area by Village Hall.

Romiley 250 homes on Hyde Bank meadows next to Cherry Tree Estate. New proposal.

Offerton 250 homes next to Castle Hill High School above the Goyt Valley. New proposal.

Woodley 250 homes at Gravel Bank Road/Unity Mill. New proposal.

Woodley: Bredbury Park Industrial Estate expansion into Tame Valley green belt, the same as proposed in 2016.

The impact of these proposals will be examined in the coming days. An eight-week public consultation is to take place. See Save Woodley & Bredbury sk6 greenbelt facebook. The official report is here.

Watch out, it’s back!

January 4th 2019: Proposals for development on Stockport’s green belt will be made known early next week in advance of a meeting of Greater Manchester council leaders next Friday (11th January). At the meeting, the leaders will sign off the second draft of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which will then be sent out for an eight-week public consultation. The first draft wanted to bury Stockport’s southern green belt under 12,000 new homes; that proposal may not reappear this time, but the second draft is likely to retain a plan to bulldoze green belt in the Tame Valley at Woodley in order to extend Bredbury industrial estate. This would be unnecessary destruction, rightly opposed by the two local MPs.

Across Greater Manchester as a whole the first draft of the Framework provoked anger by aiming to build 55,000 homes on green belt over the next 20 years. It has been suggested this target may be halved in the second draft – still too much countryside to lose.

Reply received

January 3rd 2019: The leader of Stockport’s Lib Dems, Mark Hunter, has kindly replied to our postcards of the beautiful Lower Goyt Valley. He writes that Lib Dem councillors recognise the views of people concerned about the environmental effects of the A6-M60 Bypass. But he says that this has to be balanced with the priorities of other residents: “mainly those suffering the blight of congestion with associated air pollution around the Traveller’s Call, who are pressing their councillors for a solution such as the bypass”.

Cllr Hunter seems to be saying that Lower Bredbury (the area around the Traveller’s Call) is the centre of support for the Bypass plan. But, in reality, the Bypass would send tens of thousands of EXTRA vehicles daily through the planned tunnel portal next to the Traveller’s Call – increasing, not decreasing, pollution there. Despite what Cllr Hunter says, the Bypass plan is not popular at the western end of Bredbury. (It’s a bit different to the situation in Bent’s Lane Bredbury.)

Email us if you would like some of the postcards to send to your Stockport councillors (at goytvalleysos@mail.com).The cards just require the addition of sender’s name and address and the name of the recipient councillor.

Happy new year

January 1st 2019: 2019 is the year for saving our green belt. In the next week or so the new draft of Greater Manchester Spatial Framework will be published, probably including a plan to extend Bredbury Industrial Estate across the green belt in Woodley’s Tame Valley. The Spatial Framework may also include other proposals for Stockport’s green belt. Then in the summer Stockport Council will publish the final draft of its new 20-year SEMMMS plan to extend the A555 through the Goyt Valley (pictured) and beautiful green belt to Bredbury (the A6-M60 Bypass), when the Council can get hold of the necessary funding. Let’s do our best to stop these plans. Our petition against including the A6-M60 Bypass in SEMMMS Refresh is at https://tinyurl.com/TreesNotConcrete More about SEMMMS Refresh is at https://stockportbypassfacts.com/same-o ld-semmms/ Follow Save Woodley & Bredbury SK6 Greenbelt on facebook

Goyt early spring crop better

Waiting for summer

December 19th 2018: Surprise!? There has been a slight delay to SEMMMS’ latest threat to the Lower Goyt Valley and other wonderful green spaces. The final version of SEMMMS Refresh strategy was due in autumn 2018 for sign-off by councillors. Now it may appear in summer 2019, according to last Tuesday’s SMBC Cabinet meeting. The core purpose of SEMMMS Refresh is to extend the A555 to Bredbury M60 – a ludicrously expensive way of encouraging yet more traffic while smothering green belt with noise, pollution and concrete. It’s nice to hear about delays and setbacks to the A555/A6-M60 scheme but SEMMMS and the Council are still set on “completing” the A555 if they can blag the money.

Jim Fearnley santa

Jim Fearnley stands firm

December 19th 2018: There’s some good news about the state of Jim Fearnley footbridge which links Poise Brook Valley and the Lower Goyt Valley. The Council’s engineers say it is NOT falling down. This is completely different to what the Council told us in July last year, when the bridge was given an estimated life of five years. This was particularly concerning since the Council was discouraging about the chances of the bridge being replaced when this became necessary. We’ve now been told that an inspection last October found that the bridge is in fair condition and the occasional wobble doesn’t affect “structural capacity”. The bridge is a temporary structure that has so far lasted decades. It needs painting to protect it – and this isn’t likely at present because of the cost. The bridge is mysteriously missing from the Council’s plan/map of its proposed bypass through the Goyt and Poise Brook Valleys.

A6 Stepping Hill southwards

How can SEMMMS be trusted?

December 9th 2018: Stockport Council’s SEMMMS Refresh seeks to justify its proposed A555 extension to the M60 at Bredbury by saying “congestion is increasing”. Yes, it often seems like that but what are the facts?

We don’t have figures for what’s happened since the Airport Road A555 opened in October, but the 2017 national traffic count for busy roads recently appeared. It confirms the message of the 2016 figures which we published earlier this year. Excluding the motorways, traffic on Stockport A roads FELL by 5% from 2001 (when SEMMMS’ first report appeared) to 2017.

Congestion was and is bad; it got worse in some places, but overall there WASN’T more traffic. SEMMMS has misled us about this. Can we trust any other reason that SEMMMS gives for bulldozing green belt? Our petition against including the A555-M60 extension in SEMMMS Refresh is at https://tinyurl.com/NoThroughRoad.

Crookilley collision Map Crookilley Travellers

Road versus tram

December 6th 2018: The final draft of SEMMMS Refresh with its backing for the A555 extension to Bredbury is now likely to go to Council meetings in January or February.

The previous draft, published last summer, had ideas for public transport as well as for greenbelt-destroying roads. One suggestion was for a Stockport to Marple tram-train going “via Reddish South or Crookilley Wood”. This refers to the disused train track (pictured with imaginary tram) on the edge of Crookilley Wood next to the M60 at Bredbury. But as the A555-M60 plan shows, the dual carriageway would destroy the track, since they are both more or less at the same depth below Ashton Road. Oops!
Does this show a possible lack of seriousness about public transport by SEMMMS?

Two of SEMMMS’ M’s stand for “multi-modal”, but this has increasingly been a fig-leaf for a big road-building programme. Hardly any of the public transport proposals included in first SEMMMS in 2001 have yet been carried out.

Anti-pollution plans

December 2nd 2018: Plans to deal with poisonous levels of traffic pollution in Stockport and Greater Manchester are edging forward. A proposal will be announced in January, according to Stockport’s Council Leader Alex Ganotis, who is also Greater Manchester’s “green tsar”. A period of consultation will follow.

Leeds has already announced its plans. Within a Leeds Clean Air Zone, heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches will be charged £50 daily and taxis and private hire vehicles will pay £12 if their engines are not Euro diesel standard 6 or Euro petrol standard 4 and above. Vans and private cars won’t be charged. Such a plan might not help much if ageing private diesel and petrol vans and cars are the main culprits on particular stretches of road.

Councils don’t want to charge private cars unless the Government pays for a scrappage scheme to help drivers replace polluting vehicles. Public transport alternatives would also be useful! The picture shows the A6 at Stepping Hill: since the Airport Road opened, there might (or might not?) be fewer HGVs there, while pollution worsens on the A34 and High Lane. Greater Manchester’s map showing officially polluted and borderline streets (excluding the Government-controlled motorways) is at https://cleanairgm.com/clean-air-plan

Chester Road 3Arop

A555 accident hotspot

November 30th 2018: An accident hotspot has been created at the new junction on Chester Road, Woodford leading to the Airport Road A555 roundabout. Numerous collisions have taken place. The left-turn (pictured) driving away from the A555 on to Chester Road is the main problem within a road layout that’s a bit counter-intuitive and inadequately signposted. A series of accidents was laso reported at the A555-A523 junction near the Fiveways.

We should watch out where we’re heading – not just at these road junctions but with the whole of the SEMMMS road schemes. Deceptively light traffic so far on the A555 makes some people want to plough recklessly ahead and extend the road to Bredbury. We should preserve and value our green belt instead.

Apply the brakes! Our petition against the A555-M60 extension is at https://tinyurl.com/NoThroughRoad

Return of the Spatial Framework

November 30th 2018: The notorious Greater Manchester Spatial Framework looks set to reappear next January. The Framework allocates land for development. Its first draft was heavily criticised in 2016 for saying that over the next 20 years Greater Manchester would need 227,000 new homes, with a quarter to be built on green belt.

The leaders of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority agreed today (Friday) that they will meet to approve a new draft of the Framework in early January. An eight-week public consultation will follow. Borough councillors will be asked to sign off the Framework later in 2019 when there will be a third and final period of consultation.

The new Framework is likely to greatly reduce its previous proposal for 12,000 homes to be built on Stockport’s green belt, but will continue to advocate extending Bredbury Industrial Estate on Woodley’s green belt (pictured).

The redraft of the Framework is due to appear in tandem with the final draft of Stockport’s SEMMMS Refresh transport strategy, including the extension of the A555 to the M60 at Bredbury.

Poynton bypass 2

Another new road

November 25th 2018: A public inquiry into the planned Poynton Relief Road started last Tuesday in Macclesfield. Construction is due to start late next year and finish in 2021 – though delays are always possible! The Relief Road is popular in Poynton because it will divert much through-traffic from the south that currently jams up the village centre. It may have little effect further north, around the new A555 junction on the Macclesfield Road.

The Poynton Relief Road will be just 3km of single carriageway from south of Poynton to the new Chester Road (A5149) roundabout on the A555. Its downsides are: 1. it will undeniably ramp up congestion south of Poynton; 2. it will contribute to local urbanisation; and 3. it will draw more traffic towards Greater Manchester’s congested road network. It is also another building block for extending the A555 to Bredbury (aka the A6-M60 Bypass), Without the Relief Road, the A555-M60 extension would impossibly increase traffic through Poynton.

The Poynton Relief Road will be built. But it doesn’t have to be followed by the A555-M60 extension. We should draw the line on more traffic-generating road schemes and destruction of local green space.

A6MARR official opening

‘I declare this road already open’

November 25th 2018: The A555 Airport Road was officially opened a whole month after it was opened to traffic. Until a photo turned up last week, it was hard to believe the event really happened (on Thursday November 15th). The Government’s Transport Secretary Chris Grayling (left of picture) did the honours, standing next to Stockport Council leader Alex Ganotis, with Cllr Stockton of Cheshire East on the right. Back in January Cllr Ganotis wrote to ask Mr Grayling to pay for preparations for extending the A555 to the M60. The Government said No. Did Cllr Ganotis re-open the question when the two were standing by the A555? Let’s hope Mr Grayling keeps refusing. The A555-M60 extension would destroy our wonderful green spaces at huge financial cost while putting more traffic on the roads of Greater Manchester.

Hazel Grove comment

November 14th 2018: A letter spotted in the Stockport Express today: “It is indeed ironic that the new airport relief road, that its proponents claimed was going to alleviate the traffic on the A6, is now the cause of even longer delays.The afternoon tailbacks through Hazel Grove are longer and slower moving than ever, as traffic has an extra set of traffic lights to pass through the A555/A6 junction.
The same has happened on the A523 Macclesfield Road where commuters from Poynton to Stockport now have another hold up at the (surely oversized?) A555 junction at Brookside causing bigger queues morning and evening.
Their plight will not be eased when/if the Poynton Relief Road is built. These local politicians including our MP, who are advocating the building of a new road across the Goyt Valley to the M60 claiming it will ease traffic, really need to get wise.
The lesson is simple. More roads equals more traffic.” From Grahame Buxton, Hazel Grove.

A6 blurry rising sun 2

When will they realise?

November 14th 2018: We went to the SMBC Cabinet meeting last Tuesday evening to tell them of worse traffic problems in Hazel Grove and High Lane, continuing disruption on the A34 and crashes around the new Macclesfield Road junction since the Airport Road opened.
The Cabinet replied: “It’s kind of expected that when it first opens certain things will happen. Like for instance people will be testing out new routes to see what works for them… We expect traffic patterns will change again before they settle down.”
Let’s hope they’re right, but we were also told that the Council will decide on the next round of SEMMMS (“the Refresh”) in the new year. There’ll be no time to take stock of the Airport Road. before the Council yet again considers extending the dual carriageway through the Goyt Valley to Bredbury (the A6-M60 Bypass). How much more has to happen before SMBC recognises that more road-building is destructive, hugely costly and won’t solve our transport problems?

Problems for drivers

November 11th 2018: There’s dismay among drivers about some immediate effects of the new Airport Road in peak hours. Soon after the road opened on October 15th, the SEMMMS website offered “reassurances”. One obvious problem was that work on the A34/A555 and A34/Stanley Road junctions is still unfinished (see picture) despite having to cope with extra traffic from the new road.

Secondly, traffic around Hazel Grove is said to be worse rather than better despite one of the main stated aims being to bring relief to the area. Inevitably traffic on Macclesfield Road and through High Lane is worse.

All the above is demonstrated in a facebook post by arch-bypass supporter councillor Julian Lewis-Booth, and by the attached comments. Car crashes are mentioned.

SEMMMS and Councillor Lewis-Booth are staking their hopes for the road on adjustments to traffic lights on local roads. However, traffic will further build up in coming months, as more drivers become aware of the Airport Road, which currently offers quick journeys when you are actually on it.

Unbelievably some people are claiming that the Airport Road’s failure to defeat local congestion means that it has to be extended to Bredbury (the A6-M60 Bypass). On the contrary, the Airport Road shows that an extension to Bredbury would be another huge gamble with our transport, while destroying Stockport’s beautiful Goyt Valley and green spaces. Our petition against the A6-M60 Bypass is at https://tinyurl.com/NoThroughRoad

Green belt watch out!

November 11th 2018: Updates of SEMMMS Refresh (including A6-M60 Bypass proposals) and Greater Manchester’s strategy for new houses and industry should now appear early next year. The latest version of the houses/industry strategy – or “Spatial Framework” – was held up for three months after nationwide statistics showed that not so many extra homes would be needed as previously thought. This could have reduced pressure to build on the green belt. But now the Government has told Councils, including Greater Manchester, to stick to the old target and ignore the new lower forecasts.

Stockport councillors are unlikely to approve large-scale house-building on green belt after protests over the first draft, but other boroughs have cause to fear. In Stockport we need to stop proposals to extend Bredbury industrial estate into Woodley’s green belt.
Stockport Council has said the final version of its SEMMMS Refresh transport strategy will be published soon after the Framework.

Extra lanes needed?

November 6th 2018: If the A555 needs to be upgraded to three lanes x2, would the same apply to the proposed A6-M60 Bypass (from Hazel Grove to Bredbury)? Last May, the Council’s SEMMMS Refresh strategy document said that the A555 (the old bit of the new Airport Road) needs to be widened at some time in the future. This was surprising since: A. work on the Airport Road was still going on at the time; and B. the need for future widening had not been mentioned when the Airport Road was approved in 2014. The A555 has been predicted to become about as busy as the busiest half of the proposed A6-M60 Bypass, so it’s hard to avoid the question: could the current two lanes x2 design of the A6-M60 Bypass through the Goyt Valley turn into an even more monstrous three lanes x 2? SEMMMS didn’t give us the full picture in 2014, so it’s reasonable to question what SEMMMS says now.

Vernon Rd autumn 18 copy 2 3

Colours for all

November 4th 2018: Some woods are broad, dense and a challenge to visit . Not Vernon Road Woods. Its autumn colours are readily on display to anyone who happens to be walking the useful local paths along its 500-metre length. Near where the top picture was taken would be the portals of the A6-M60 Bypass’s tunnel through Lower Bredbury. The portals would be a large concrete structure projecting into the Goyt Valley, and probably covered with earth to look, err, natural.

Cycle way 2 combo

Heading for the river

November 4th 2018: There is currently much work going on behind Bredbury Hall to take the cycle path/bridleway from Alan Newton Way to the new bridge over the Goyt and into Woodbank Park. Another arm of the extended path will come out near Pear Mill. See the plans below. The new path is unpopular with some residents of Annable Road and users of Woodbank Park (due to destruction of trees and because of safety issues for pedestrians on paths). Some walkers and cyclists will find it useful. A circular walk around the Goyt will become possible so long as Jim Fearnley Bridge remains. SMBC has said that Jim Fearnley Bridge may be closed on grounds of safety within the next few years – although it seems solid enough at present.

The second innings

November 1st 2018: A planning application for a cricket ground in the north-west corner of Stockport’s Goyt Valley has re-emerged (view looking south across ground above) . Bredbury St Marks Cricket Club has revised plans submitted last year (extract from plans, below).

Changes mainly concern safety on the bridleway around the entrance to the ground. There could be more cyclists and pedestrians on the bridleway because the Council is taking it around the other side of Bredbury Hall to a new river bridge. In the cricket club’s revised plans a new foot and cycle path comes down from Dark Lane road, crosses Vernon Road and makes an incursion into the field on the east side of Alan Newton Way, continuing where the field’s boundary hedge currently is.
The plans also include a clubhouse and a high perimeter fence. The application may stand or fall on whether it is considered appropriate development within the green belt. The club also needs to gain planning approval to sell its existing ground for housing.

There are some sharply differing opinions on the application. Some people see it as degradation of the valley landscape. Others see it as bringing more people into the valley who would to defend it against road plans. Documents can be seen at Stockport Council Planning webpage, reference DC/066644

Cricket Bredbury St Marks October 18 Crop 2

New roads, new journeys

November 1st 2018: Putting a dual carriageway through Stockport’s Goyt Valley would destroy wonderful green space but also cause new traffic problems. Extra traffic created by big new roads is called “induced traffic”. SEMMMS and Stockport Council don’t believe in “induced traffic” but they should do: one of the best studies of it in the UK covers what happened just down the road with the completion of the M60. A before-and-after study found that the M60 induced 15%-17% new traffic journeys. With hindsight, it is not a surprise, and it’s getting worse. The study of the “Manchester Motorway Box” (by Rohr et al) comes up in the Government’s own survey of research into induced traffic, published this week. Our petition against the A6-M60 Bypass is at https://tinyurl.com/NoThroughRoad.

M60 what went wrong

Stand by Stanleyhall

November 1st 2018: Beautiful Stanleyhall Wood stands next to the Peak Forest Canal above the River Goyt at Strines. It’s yet another wood threatened by SEMMMS road plans. The wood stands in the path of the Disley/High Lane Relief Road, which would feed into the proposed A6-M60 Bypass (Hazel Grove to Bredbury). Stanleyhall Wood is protected ancient woodland. The road wouldn’t be allowed through the middle but might take out one end. The Relief Road could only be built after the A6-M60 Bypass. SEMMMS does not have a real-time solution to Disley/High Lane’s congestion and pollution problems, which will be worsened by the new Airport Road.

Stanleyhall wood autumn better perspective

What a ridiculous mess!

October 24th 2018: A large hole has appeared in the Council’s case for putting a Bypass through Stockport’s Goyt Valley. We have worked out that the correct estimated cost of extending the Airport Road to the M60 at Bredbury is an impossibly massive £602 million. It’s even more than the £477 million stated last year in the A6-M60 Bypass Business Case. This is important because the Council wants to keep asking the Government for money for the Bypass until it gets a Yes.

We calculated the £602 million figure using the same method that the Business Case used. Both calculations are partly worked out from the cost of building the Airport Road. The difference is that the Bypass Business Case thought the Airport Road would cost £230 million. In fact, the Airport Road has cost £290 million.

The Business Case explains its calculation of the Bypass’s cost on on PDF page 126 of http://www.semmms.info/wp-content/uploads/A6-M60-Relief_Road_Scheme_SOBC_Working_Draft_v10_Client-Review.pdf. Basically, the cost of both the Airport Road and the A6-M60 Bypass was estimated in 2007. But the estimate for the Bypass needed to be uprated for inflation to 2017. A “robust” but incorrect estimate of the final cost of the Airport Road was used to work this out. This loopy method may have been chosen because it gave a good result – zero inflation – and an unrealistically low cost (£477 million!) for the A6-M60 Bypass. Or so they may have thought.

(LATER INFORMATION: SMBC are refusing to confirm the final cost of the Airport Road despite saying it was a “£290 million project”.)

Bypass cost 2 smaller

Pollution hot spots named

October 26th 2018: Greater Manchester Combined Authority has named 20 illegally polluted roads in Stockport. The Authority is considering whether and how to impose charges on the dirtiest vehicles at pollution hot spots throughout the region. The list only includes streets where Nitrogen Dioxide is over the limits, not sooty particles, which can also be deadly. Another big omission is the whole motorway network, which is outside the Authority’s control. Great Egerton Street (pictured) probably appears on the list because of pollution spread from the M60.

Action is long overdue. Stockport Council has for many years ignored the problem except as an argument for building bypasses. But the newly completed Airport Road will increase pollution on the already illegally polluted A34 and the A6 in High Lane. Hopefully it will cut emissions on some other parts of the A6.

The 20 Stockport roads are Chestergate, Corporation Street, Kingsway, Didsbury Road, Travis Brow, Ashton Road, Great Egerton Street, Knightsbridge, Stockport Road West, Buxton Road, London Road, Wellington Road North, Ashton Road, Hall Street, Spring Gardens, St Marys Way, Tiviot Way, Carrington Road, New Bridge Lane and Lancashire Hill. Sometimes only a short stretch of road breaks the limits. See the map at https://cleanairgm.com/clean-air-plan

Air pollution stockport

A555 price shock

October 23rd 2018: The final cost of the Airport Road/A555 (pictured) is much more than planned. On October 15th, the SEMMMS website declared the new road open and described it as a “£290 million project”. Assuming this £290 million figure means what it says, the cost is way above the £232 million budget set in December 2014. The amount going to the builders appears to be 50% higher. All the £290 million allocated by the Government and Greater Manchester has been used up. Stockport Council narrowly avoided having to put in extra money which it doesn’t have. The road took 42 months to complete rather than the planned 30 months. We’ll be publishing a post soon about how the Airport Road’s final cost further undermines the road’s proposed extension to Bredbury (aka A6-M60 Bypass). Please support and share our petition against the extension, at https://tinyurl.com/NoThroughRoad

A555 no rocket

Don’t ‘refresh’ this wood

October 20th 2018: A kilometre on from the end of the Airport Road/A555 is peaceful Ochreley Brook Site of Biological Importance. Now that the road is open, SEMMMS’ focus will shift to trying to extend the tarmac up to Bredbury through green places like this. The Airport Road may stay relatively quiet for the first few months. SEMMMS will hope that this will help them to get their “Refresh” through the Council – including the proposed Airport Road extension (A6-M60 Bypass). It’s not a foregone conclusion. Coming soon, we have some strong information to deploy in support of our green spaces. Also our petition needs much more support at https://tinyurl.com/NoThroughRoad. Please help to spread and share it.

Ochreley trees words

Dead and buried

October 19th 2018: Last Thursday we went to the full Council meeting to ask why the bronze-age site at Woodlford (up to FOUR THOUSAND years old) was tarmacced to make part of a TEMPORARY car park for Airport Road workers. Previously we’ve questioned SMBC’s Cabinet to little effect. Yet again we didn’t get a straight answer. SEMMMS and the councillor who reads out SEMMMS’ responses still aren’t ready to say in public that the site has been destroyed. The site was relatively small – the base of a funeral barrow with empty grave and ring gully revealed during land clearance (see picture). Last Thursday was our last throw of the dice, since the car park is now redundant. All we learned is that the car park and associated depot will be returned to farmland.

archae round house pic plus

Glorious valley

October 19th 2018: The dry summer has prepared a colourful autumn, and there’s no where better to see it than in our own Goyt Valley. How can anyone want to bulldoze a dual carriageway across the valley and the wonderful autumn woods along the route of the proposed A6-M60 Bypass? Please sign our petition to oppose extension of the A555 to Bredbury, at https://tinyurl.com/NoThroughRoad

Autumn goyt 18 F

Greetings to councillors

October 10th 2018: We have some postcards of Stockport’s wonderful Goyt Valley (see top picture). They are designed for people to send to their councillors before the Council votes again on whether it wants to destroy the Valley by putting the A6-M60 Bypass through it. Some councillors are moving our way. More of them need to know about Stockport’s Goyt Valley. If you would like some cards (everyone has three councillors), please message us. We can arrange delivery each way. It would be nice to have some Goyt Valley greetings cards to send to friends and relatives too, but we’re still working on that.

A6 Postcard Final A

Schools too near

October 10th 2018: Would Council officials really dare to put a junction of the proposed A6-M60 Bypass right next to Dial Park Primary, Offerton? In fact, something similar has already happened. Queensgate Primary, Bramhall sits above the new Airport Road. The nearest school building is within 100 metres of the road. Parents were bamboozled into accepting this appalling situation. But Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee warned back in 2014 that schools should not be within 150 yards of major roads (which might be a lot less busy than the Airport Road). The MPs said that where schools were already next to busy roads, filtration units should be fitted in the classrooms.

Queensgate school

Support at the open day

October 7th 2018: We received an encouraging response to our stall at the entrance to Sunday’s official open day for the Airport Road, next to Macclesfield Road (see picture). We spoke to many people about Stockport Council’s proposal to extend the new road to the M60 by destroying green belt and ruining the wonderful Lower Goyt Valley. We gave out leaflets and collected signatures for the petition. The open day was popular but those attending didn’t necessarily welcome the new tarmac or want any more loss of green space. Please sign our petition against the proposed extension (the A6-M60 Bypass), at https://www.change.org/p/stockport-council-remove-the-a6-m6…

Airport Rd day out

It’s quiet for now

October 5th 2018: The most secluded part of the Poise Brook Valley Nature Reserve is where the A6-M60 Bypass would cross the Goyt (pictured). Last Tuesday evening’s SMBC Cabinet meeting reminded us that the Council remains serious in its pursuit of money for the Bypass – extending the Airport Road to Bredbury. This picture is taken from that point on the Goyt’s western bank where the ancient woodland of the Nature Reserve merges into the mature woodland belonging to Offerton Sand & Gravel. Supposedly it’s the mature woodland that would take the hit but the Bypass’s colossal impact would spread in all directions.

Westward rock recon words

Airport Road opening October 15th

October 5th 2018: The opening date for the Airport Road will be Monday October 15^th – just over a year late. But the Airport Road’s troubles may not be over. The extra vehicles it puts on the A34 could contribute to the introduction of a pollution charge on some drivers – an unprecedented situation. How can SEMMMS’ now be trusted over its proposed extension of the Airport Road to Bredbury (the A6-M60 Bypass)? We will be at the Airport Road events this Sunday (Oct 7^th) with our petition to tell people about the threat to our green spaces from more road-building. Join us from 11pm at the Airport Road’s Macclesfield Road junction.

Airport Rd flag

A ‘waiting game’ for Bypass funding

October 3rd 2018: We went to SMBC Cabinet on Tuesday evening to ask them to lift the threat to our green belt from their Bypass proposals. The Council leaders always say that no final decision has been taken. This time they added disturbingly that getting funding for further work on the A6-M60 Bypass was “a waiting game”. We learnt that last summer’s consultation about SEMMMS Refresh, including the Bypass proposals, produced a high level of feedback, and a summary of the responses will appear later this year. We also received some new detail about current pollution monitoring. There was no answer on when (if ever) we will find out how much the Airport Road cost. Nor were we told what would happen to what’s left of the bronze-age site under the road builders’ car park. The meeting was told a date for opening the Airport Road might be revealed later this week.

Cabinet Oct crop 2

Don’t extend the Airport Road!

October 2nd 2018: There still no exact date but the A6-Airport Road is about to finally open “in early October”. SEMMMS wants to extend the road into the Ox Hey woodland pictured – and through beautiful woods, fields and valleys to the M60. If the new 20-year SEMMMS Refresh plan is approved, Stockport Council will be able to keep on chasing funding to do this for another two decades – if it takes that long.

Airport road Stop

The A34 fiasco

October 2nd 2018: The opening of the Airport Road next week (?) could be followed by plans to introduce a pollution charge on the A34 (pictured under Airport Road A555). The law requires action to be taken on the A34, partly to deal with the extra traffic and pollution put there by the new road. How can SEMMMS get away with such a fiasco? When Stockport Council’s SEMMMS planned the Airport Road, they knew that the A34 was already illegally polluted, and the Airport Road would make it worse. Six years later pollution is treated more seriously in the UK. Yet SEMMMS and its supporters voice no regrets. Instead they want us now to trust them to put the A6-M60 Bypass through our beautiful valleys!

A34 A555 west traffic funny_funny

Rising prices

October 2nd 2018: Stockport Council officials are reluctant to tell the public how much the Airport Road is costing. The last known cost of £232 million has gone up, but by how much? We need to know because an out of date cost for the Airport Road was used to work out the cost of extending it to the M60. The proposed A6-M60 Bypass was priced at a massive £477 million. It should have been even more, but we don’t know how much more because we don’t know the true cost of the Airport Road.

Aerial airport rd 2

Chaotic to the end

September 22nd 2018: Stockport Council leaders must sign off a deal with builders before the Airport Road can open in a fortnight – a year late. Builders Morgan Sindall were originally partnered with Carillion, who went bankrupt. In long-running haggling, the builders have been claiming payment for hundreds of extra bits of work, while the Council has blamed some of these on the builders. The headline causes of delay were unexpected great crested newts, ground conditions, rain and “an altered method of construction”. The Council will be left with huge piles of earth to find a home for. Next Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting will discuss the builders’ terms in secret so we may never know the cost of mishaps and mismanagement. The total will be within the Government’s £290 million grant but it is public money and should be spent carefully.

Airport road latest

Ready or not

September 22nd 2018: The traffic lights pictured are the front line of SEMMMS’ unconvincing efforts to hold back a surge of traffic through High Lane and Disley when the A6-Airport Road opens imminently. A 30% increase in traffic coming up the A6 has been predicted, bringing both more congestion and pollution. In response, SEMMMS promised “mitigation measures” to deter extra traffic and cut the increase to (only!) 15%. The original mitigation scheme centred on “shared space” (pedestrian/motorist equality) in the centre of Disley. This was scrapped when the penny dropped that it would itself exacerbate pollution by further slowing traffic. Instead lights have been installed at the A6-Redhouse Lane junction south of Disley centre and new parking bays have narrowed the road. Slowing traffic at this point, which is the start of an Air Quality (ie high pollution) Management Area, is questionable. At least local residents driving out of Redhouse Lane appreciate their new lights.

Disley Redhouse Lane lights

Airport Road opening soon

September 22nd 2018: The Airport Road may open on October 7th ‘or may be a few days later’, according to Stockport Council leader Alex Ganotis. He told Thursday’s Council meeting that people would be invited to walk, run or cycle along the carriageways on October 7th before the traffic starts flowing. These opportunities will be in a limited number of locations, not yet specifiede. The road from Hazel Grove to the M56 is expected to cut traffic on the A6 from Hazel Grove northwards but increase it south of Hazel Grove and on the A34. The picture shows the road being put through wooded Mill Hill Hollow last year. The Coucil’s SEMMMS Refresh wants to extend the road through more green belt to the M60 at Bredbury. Please sign the petition asking the Council to remove the Bypass from SEMMMS Refresh.

Save our woodland

August 27th 2018: The map above shows some of the damage that could result from SEMMMS resuscitating the A6-M60 Bypass plan. Eleven woods or wooded areas are directly in the Bypass’s path. Can we afford to lose so much? The woods are (from M60 southwards): 1 Crookilley Woods ancient woodland; 2 Vernon Road Woods; 3 Ryley Wood (below Werneth School); 4 woodland at Goyt Hall; 5 Poise Brook Valley ancient woodland; 6 Foggbrook woodland (Site of Biological Importance); 7 wooded area at Peregrine Park; 8 woodland at Poise Bridge Flushes (Site of Biological Importance); 9 Ochreley Brook woodland (Site of Biological Importance); 10 Threaphurst Clough (Site of Biological Importance; 11 Ox Hey woodland (Site of Biological Importance). Please sign the petition.

Heritage versus Bypass

August 27th 2018: Road-builders and SEMMMS officials cannot be trusted with our heritage – as shown by the shocking and needless tarmacing of a bronze-age site to make a car park for Airport Road workers (see recent post). The proposed A6-M60 Bypass route (which would join the Airport Road) has four potential ancient sites: a suspected iron-age settlement at Clapgate; a Roman road heading past Dial Park Primary; an unnaturally round hillock above Poise Brook near Braeside; and a Roman road crossing the gully next to Redhill Drive. Archaeologists might investigate before the bulldozers move in, but the sites would still be destroyed. Also, as we saw at the Airport Road car park, archaeologists in a hurry may not get it right.

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Archaeology in a hurry

August 27th 2018: The destructive tarmacing of an ancient site near the Airport Road could show how Stockport’s heritage would fare if the A6-M60 Bypass were ever built. The site was discovered during construction of a portacabin and car park complex for the Airport Road’s builders – away from the line of the road. The builders Carillion Morgan Sindall were employing archaeologists to monitor their work, in line with normal practice. In 2015 the archaeologists hastily excavated the base of a supposed iron-age roundhouse (from before the Romans) in the future car park.

The site was handed back to the impatient builders in November 2015 and disappeared under tarmac (see car park picture). The discovery of the supposed iron-age site was announced in August 2016 after it had disappeared. We’re now told that the circle (pictured) was really the base of a bronze age barrow from hundreds of years earlier. An iron age roundhouse would be significant, but a 3,000-years-old bronze age site even more so. The car park should have been built around it, not over it. Stockport Council’s SEMMMS team leads the Airport Road work.

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More damage and expense

August 24th 2018: If there’s to be a High Lane bypass, it seems that Stockport Council has to build a High Lane/Disley Bypass too to keep inside air quality law. Otherwise the A6 through High Lane and Disley would become even more illegally polluted, with traffic heading for the A6-M60 Bypass-to-be. So the recent SEMMMS Refresh Strategy document ties in a single carriageway High Lane/Disley Bypass with the dual carriageway A6-M60 Bypass. But no route is offered. So Goyt Valley SOS has devised three options to show the impact.

The pink version connects with the A6-M60 Bypass at Offerton Road, as planned in the 1990s. Orange connects to the Airport Road somewhere unknown as suggested by Stockport Council’s A6 Corridor Study in 2014. The blue route is totally made up. Blue and orange invade Lyme Park; pink generally mashes the green belt.

Since Stockport Council can’t find £480 million for the A6-M60 Bypass, the cost of an extra bypass may not matter – but probably upwards of £60 million. A better idea would be for Stockport Council to stop wasting our time and money on its obsession with the A6-M60 Bypass.

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Which is it to be?

August 20th 2018: Stockport Council (leader Alex Ganotis) this autumn aims to finalise its SEMMMS Refresh including building the A6-M60 Bypass through the Goyt Valley, building a High Lane/Disley Bypass and widening part of the unfinished Airport Road. But Greater Manchester’s green czar Alex Ganotis (!) has this month published a “Springboard to a Green region” plan which wants to work to REDUCE the need for car and vehicle trips and HALVE the proportion of freight going by road. Building the A6-M60 Bypass (cost £half a billion) would encourage vehicle trips – not reduce them! It would use up resources that should be spent on alternatives to cars and road freight. Which is it to be, Alex? (The report: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/…/springboard_to_ac…)

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Hands off our Council funds!

August 16th 2018: Stockport councillors will be deciding this autumn whether to back “SEMMMS Refresh” – including the proposed A6-M60 Bypass through the Goyt Valley. For immediate Bypass preparations, the Council needs £500,000 – already twice refused by the Government. Previously the Council has said it cannot find the £500,000 itself because it is desperately cash-strapped. But now it has received a windfall £4 million left over from last year. The windfall will be spent on one-off items including unspecified “highways investment”. Spending £500,000 could be combined with asking Mayor Andy Burnham’s help to beg the rest of the Bypass costs from the Government (£500 million). The Council’s SEMMMS website says the Council will decide about funding following approval of SEMMMS Refresh. Don’t let them throw our money down the drain!

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Concrete woodland

August 5th 2018: Ancient Mill Hill Hollow now has a dual carriageway built through it. The full impact will be experienced when the Airport Road opens in two months and is filled with traffic. In the autumn Stockport councillors will decide whether to make further attempts to build the A6-M60 Bypass. Don’t let the fate of Mill Hill Hollow be shared by the eleven woods along the proposed Bypass route.

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Tranquility lost

August 5th 2018:The western end of Carr Wood has disappeared beneath the almost finished Airport Road near Hazel Grove . Some “acoustic” wood fencing (similar to a top-quality garden fence) is being erected to shield local housing a bit, but the remaining ancient woodland and the Ladybrook Valley Interest Trail don’t get this protection from traffic noise. In the autumn, Stockport councillors will be once again discussing extending the road from Hazel Grove up to Bredbury (the A6-M60 Bypass). When will they discuss preserving our green belt and woodland?

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Emergency measures needed

July 30th 2018: The Council is facing a national deadline to tackle illegal air pollution. It says the only case in Stockport is on the A34 in Cheadle. But what about the A6 in High Lane? It was named in 2013 as having illegal pollution. Both the A6 in High Lane and the A34 in Cheadle are forecast to suffer increased traffic when the A6-Airport Road opens in a few months – making it close to impossible for the Council to achieve its legal obligations. “Mitigation” has already been introduced on the A6 further south to limit the increase in traffic after the Airport Road opens – but traffic is still forecast to grow by 15%. We are seeing the consequences of the Council and its SEMMMS team fudging the facts about air quality back in 2014 when the Airport Road was being approved.

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Avoiding the question

July 22nd 2018: Stockport Council is still in a fog about how to reduce illegal air pollution on the A34 at Cheadle.. We asked last week’s Council Cabinet meeting how they could go ahead with opening the A6-Airport Road next month when it would make A34’s pollution even worse. The councillors would only say that they would monitor the effect of the new road.

Proposals to deal with existing pollution on the A34 are to be included in a regional plan hurriedly being put together at Greater Manchester level. Ideas mentioned last week would mainly be slow burners, such as a scrappage scheme for the most polluting vehicles and changes to the bus network. Charging zones for the worst polluters would be a last resort. If the plan isn’t written by the end of 2018 councils could face legal action.

Importance?

July 11th 2018: This map shows the A6-M60 Bypass’s planned route of destruction through four Sites of Biological Importance for wildlife in Torkington (Hazel Grove). The sites coincide with the first four of our 11 woods at risk. The woods shown in light green are almost all “priority deciduous woodland”. The Council does not publish a map or complete list of its SIBs so the information in this map is not widely known.

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SEMMMS pollution challenge

July 14th 2018: Stockport Council is facing a legal requirement to IMMEDIATELY reduce existing air pollution on the A34 at Cheadle/Gatley. But, shockingly, when the Council’s new Airport Road opens later this year it will put even more traffic and pollution on the A34. This impact on pollution was covered up when the Airport Road was approved. Amazingly, the new SEMMMS Refresh strategy even proposes widening part of the Airport Road/A555 to three lanes each way and widening the roundabout that puts traffic from the Airport Road/A555 on to the A34! It’s unbelievable that such a proposal is made at the same time that the Council leader is talking about diverting traffic off the A34 as a quick fix for pollution.

Would you chip in?

July 11th 2018: Stockport Council could waste our local money on preparations for the A6-M60 Bypass. The Council has put a statement on its SEMMMS website saying it will continue to try to get money from the Government and Transport for Greater Manchester to fund the next stage of “feasibility work” on the Bypass. If this doesn’t work, the Council says “we will need to consider funding following the outcome of the SEMMMS Refresh”. This seems to reopen the possibility that the Council will waste Stockport’s own money on doing “feasibility work” costing £500,000.

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The Council is in denial

June 29th 2018: We told last Thursday’s Council meeting that the A6-M60 Bypass shouldn’t be built – and can’t be built, following the government’s refusal of funding. But the Council is in denial. We were told it will reapply for money for the A6-M60 Bypass and it won’t remove the Bypass from its new transport strategy. The public consultation about the new transport strategy is to be extended for two weeks, ending on 16^th July. The Council leader said the Council would hold a debate in the Autumn about the SEMMMS Refresh transport strategy. Amazingly, he said the Council had not published the Government’s letter (refusing funding) in February because they did not understand its implications.The picture taken before the meeting includes Councillors Sheila Bailey, Richard Coaton and Dickie Davies.

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Goyt Valley SOS! at the Travellers Call

June 19th 2018: The back room of the Travellers’ Call was full to more than bursting for the Goyt Valley SOS! meeting on Tuesday evening 19th June. The Travellers’ Call is right on the route of the Bypass.

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Please lift the threat!

June 13th 2018: We asked four questions at the SMBC Cabinet meeting yesterday evening. The most important was regarding the rebuff from the Department for Transport to the Council’s Bypass funding request. Rachel asked: “Following this rebuff, please would you 1. Tell councillors and the public that you have received this rebuff; 2. Stop wasting resources on transport plans that include the Bypass; and 3. Lift the threat to the Goyt and Poise Brook Valleys?” We received no direct answer to this. The Council are apparently blaming the Government for reneging on promises and intend to press on with the dodgy consultation and with future funding requests when the chance arises.

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Slicing Peregrine Park

June 5th 2018: Peregrine Park at the southern tip of Bosden Farm Estate would be sliced by the A6-M60 Bypass. The park has a belt of trees which makes it number five of the eleven woods at risk from the Bypass. See the map.

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Save the Flushes!

June 5th 2018: Poise Bridge Flushes woodland is number four of our ELEVEN (or 12!) woods versus the A6-M60 bulldozers. There’s a footpath just before 58 Offerton Road that goes close to this meadow with dense bands of woodland along three sides. It’s where Poise Brook (northern arm) and Ochreley Brook meet and is a Site of Biological Importance. The Bypass would go through the top corner and the thickest area of woodland.

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Important Ochreley

June 5th 2018: Ochreley Brook Woods is the third of ELEVEN woods threatened by the A6-M60 Bypass, going south to north. This is information SEMMMS doesn’t want us to have. Ochreley Brook and its woods are a Site of Biological Importance, like Ox Hey and Threaphurst Clough (threatened woods 1 and 2). The trees lining Ochreley Brook are thin where the Bypass would hit but become denser just a few feet away. A bit further east the woods are designated as priority deciduous woodland habitat.

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Threaphurst Clough

May 23rd 2018: Threatened wood number 2 going south to north along the A6-M60 route is Threaphurst Clough. This is woodland mainly north of the Chinley railway line around Threaphurst Brook. Like Ox Hey Wood, this is both priority deciduous woodland and a Site of Biological Importance. We know that some of this wood was here 200 years ago. Threaphurst Clough is separated by a field from the eastern-most residential streets of Torkington and Torkington Primary.

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Bulldozer priority

May 23rd 2018: There are seven or eight areas of official “priority deciduous woodland habitat” spread along the planned route of the A6-M60 Bypass. Going south to north, the first is where the road would start, at Ox Hey near Simpson’s Corner, Hazel Grove. The woodland here is around Ox Hey Brook, between the new A6 (which has already taken a chunk), the Chinley railway and the golf course. This is also an official SBI – Site of Biological Importance. So why’s it in danger of being bulldozed?

A pretty scene at risk

May 13th 2018: From Broadway in Lower Bredbury we can look down a pretty little valley between the houses. Right at the bottom, the valley is crossed at right angles by a narrow green corridor that’s reserved for the A6-M60 Bypass. In the picture, that’s where we can see the bluebells (top left). For several years, we thought that the section of the A6-M60 Bypass going between Vernon Road bridleway and the Travellers Call would be in a deep cutting with a roof to keep in the noise. But now we are told that the roof might have to come off in the middle ie where the bluebells are. Tunnel portals are noxious places where fumes and noise are concentrated – and there would be two portals here. All along the A6-M60 route we should keep the bluebells and ditch the Bypass plan!

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On the front line

May 13th 2018: Bluebells grow freely in woods threatened by the A6-M60 Bypass scheme. Last Sunday’s Bluebell Walk along the route missed plenty. There are superb bluebells in Crookilley Woods, close to Crookilley Way and the M60. Crookilley Way would be widened to try to cope with the greatly increased traffic. As a result, new cuttings and embankments would push through the boundary of the wood above the area of bluebells pictured and arrowed. On this extract from the Bypass plans, I’ve highlighted the current boundary of Crookilley Wood in green, the proposed extent of the earthworks in red, and the present edge of Crookilley Way in light blue. The Bypass itself would come up through the eastern end of the wood. Construction work would inevitably spread further into the wood than the plans show.

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Worth another 200 years

May 6th 2018: Vernon Road Woods is the strip of woodland going east from outside Bredbury Hall at the northern end of Stockport’s Goyt Valley. It was there 200 years ago, according to an old map (top) – and it has extended since. The second (Magic) map shows “Priority deciduous woodland” in green, as classified by the Government’s Natural England. It includes much of the local woodland, including even part of the area next to Forty Acre Drive which has been reserved while road planners work on various schemes to increase traffic congestion. The A6-M60 would ruin Vernon Road woods, flattening part of it and filling much of the rest with noise and pollution.

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To be blocked, drowned, bulldozed

April 27th 2018: Wonderful Poise Brook Valley Nature Reserve needs our support. The map shows the destruction proposed at the Holiday Lane end. The A6-M60 Bypass plan includes two ponds for road run-off with a combined length of 320 metres right on top of the existing footpath. In the top half of the valley the Bypass would be very close by in the ex-gravel pit. The only way people would be able to walk the valley would be on a path along the edge of the Bypass. Neither the Jim Fearnley Bridge nor the little wooden bridge pictured (looking south) would exist. The annual Bluebell Walk through the threatened Goyt and Poise Brook valleys is on Sunday 6^th May, starting at 2.15pm from outside Bredbury Hall, Dark Lane SK6 2DH.

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Road drain lake

April 27th 2018: Bypass run-off released from drainage ponds would flow down Poise-Ochreley Brook into the quiet lake between Hazel Grove and Bosden Farm Estate (Offerton). Under current plans for the A6-M60 Bypass, Ochreley Brook also comes up against the road-builders at the back of Torkington Primary School. Ochreley Brook is an arm of Poise Brook and is officially named Poise Brook from Offerton Road westwards. Beyond the lake, it meets up with another arm of Poise Brook which comes through Torkington Park. If the Bypass is built, the lake (ex-mill pool) would be 80 metres from the carriageways and no longer peaceful. The drainage ponds next to the Bypass’s Offerton Road junction would use gravity and bullrushes to partially filter the run-off – on the basis that some of the bad stuff would drop to the bottom.

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The case against destruction

April 27th 2018: Before the Council puts a bypass across Poise Brook Valley, here’s something they should read. The Valley and the woods along the Goyt are “some of the most important woodland in Greater Manchester,” says an information board put up in the woods by none other than STOCKPORT COUNCIL. The board has information about the “rich ground flora of ancient woodland species” as well details of wildlife such as kingfishers, dippers and otters. The scene pictured would be 140 metres from the Bypass cutting; the southern half and north-eastern tip would be obliterated.

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Clogging up Offerton

April 22nd 2018: No one could complain that Offerton would be short of traffic lights! The traffic lights are on the carriageway of the Bypass as well as on connecting roads. The link road to the A6 at Sainsbury’s would have traffic lights at the side of the store on Mill Street (to enter and exit the car park) as well as the two sets of lights close together on the A6 as at present. The three junctions on the Bypass would make Offerton a traffic magnet. The numerous sets of associated traffic lights would cause multiple queues. There’s no way this can be in Offerton’s interests.

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Crookilley incursion

March 31st 2018: The western end of Crookilley Woods shows the scars of the construction of the M60. Crookilley Way (part of the M60 scheme) is at the back of the photo. The brook is blocked by a wall and sent down into a culvert which, judging by all the mud, may be partially blocked. The proposed culverting of Poise Brook, Offerton for the A6-M60 Bypass comes to mind. The Crookilley Brook culvert is short – just enough to stabilise the embankment on which Crookilley Way stands. The Bypass planners want to widen Crookilley Way. The embankment would be extended and secured by a 200-metre retaining wall. The houses of Elm Tree Road are not far away on the opposite side of the brook. Crookilley Brook continues for a few hundred metres to the Goyt. The Goyt’s Ox Bow bend nearby was chopped off when the M60 and Crookilley Way was built. Let’s insist that our beautiful river and brooks get some respect in future.

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Briefing the Government

March 24th 2018: Another Goyt Valley SOS! Bypass Briefing is on its way to the Department for Transport. This picture of Stockport’s Goyt Valley was included. It is an attempt to counter claims that the damage caused by the A6-M60 Bypass would be repairable – or, as the Bypass Business Case would put it, “mitigatable”. The picture shows how the Bypass would slice across the northern part of the valley, reducing it in size and cutting it off from the valley further south (mainly not shown in picture above). Only the planned road, cuttings and embankments are indicated – not the larger area of ground that would be dug up during construction. The picture also cannot show the noise and pollution.

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At the Mayor’s Green Summit

March 24th 2018: We offered the many people going into the Mayor’s Green Summit last Wednesday a leaflet about the A6-M60 Bypass. The Mayor, Andy Burnham, grabbed one. It was good that our leaflets made it into the Summit because this otherwise wonderful event seemed weak on roads and green spaces. The main themes were about Greater Manchester becoming carbon neutral and getting a grip on plastic waste. But the chair of the national Environment Agency did urge the Summiteers to value and protect our green spaces as part of our “Natural capital”. Also the Government came up with some money for brownfield building sites (so less building on green land). And there will be money for cycling and walking paths etc. (The picture is a montage – the Mayor got his leaflet at the door.)

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The value of otters

March 20th 2018: There’s some good news in the Bypass Business Case! It tells us that there are otters in the Lower Goyt. The context is calculations of the supposed cash value of the benefits from building the Bypass, minus the “disbenefits”. Biodiversity, including otters, is on the spreadsheet but not given a price. The Business Case reckons that the risk to otters from the Bypass plan is only “slight”. That’s despite the disturbance that would be caused by the construction of a major bridge over the river. In any case, we should be encouraging our depleted wildlife to return and recover, not further degrading their (and our) environment. [NOTE: Not everyone thinks otters would be useful members of the river community, because they can eat very large fish as well as creatures on the river bank.]

The risk of flooding

March 20th 2018: A copy of the Risk Register for the unfinished A6-Airport Road has come to light. It expresses quite well the danger of major road building upsetting natural drainage. An entry added just before construction began in 2015 said: “Local flooding problems exacerbated by the scheme or post construction disturbance of existing land drainage systems …. Probability 5%’. Only the probability rating turned out to be wrong. There was a clue of the flooding to come when, at the start of the project, workers had to remove unexpectedly large numbers of water-loving great crested newts from the site, including from Simpson’s Corner (pictured last year). What is the probability that drainage disturbance would happen in flood-prone areas along the route of the proposed A6-M60 Bypass?

Still not enough?

March 20th 2018: Cheshire East Council says it still lacks sufficient road space and there are gaps in public transport. It’s launching its version of the SEMMMS Refresh consultation that took place in Stockport last autumn. The Council wants to work with Stockport Council and Transport for Greater Manchester to extend the multi-modal strategy (SEMMMS) up to 2040. The main item of SEMMMS Refresh in Stockport is the A6-M60 Bypass (although many people taking part said they didn’t want it). If the Bypass were built it would be sure to generate extra traffic in Cheshire East wanting to use it. Despite supposedly being multi-modal, the emphasis of SEMMMS so far has been road-building such as the Airport Road (Cheshire bit pictured). The consultation is at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/consultations

This road is on shaky ground

March 12th 2018: Subsidence under the A555 (the original section of the Airport Road) is more serious than was first disclosed. The earth and sand filling holding up the A555 above Earl Road, Stanley Green (near the A34) has been sinking and leaching out of its retaining wall (see top picture and inset picture), made of thin slabs. A consulting engineer has reported the likelihood of a void under a lane of the A555. The stability of the bridge is in question. Repair works have now commenced, but the problem has been known about for a year or more. Was it safe to leave it for so long? The repair works are the responsibility of Stockport Council separately from government-funded work now going on to extend the A555 from the Airport to the A6. This shambolic road must NOT be further extended from Hazel Grove to Bredbury. Stanley Road smaller

The A6 clog-up plan

March 12th 2018: The proposed A6-M60 Bypass is meant to divert some traffic away from the A6. But if that were to happen, wouldn’t more vehicles just come in and fill up the space? The Council seems to agree. It’s application for funding for the Bypass emphasises that there would be a plan for “locking in the benefits”. This means reducing the lanes on the A6 for general traffic. We know this because it was in the Airport Road scheme too, before motorists started complaining. But reducing the lanes of the A6 through Hazel Grove and Heaviley, would only deter new traffic if it recreated the congestion already on the A6. The difference would be that there would be one congested lane each way, rather than two. Cycle lanes and bus lanes would be important in a sensible transport policy. There’s nothing sensible about re-clogging up the A6 at a cost of HALF-A-BILLION pounds!

Linger at this fine roundabout for a while…

March 12th 2018: Below is the official A6-M60 Bypass roundabout plan at Junction 25 with our new captions. The complex roundabout controlled by multiple traffic lights (our 16 red lines) would struggle with thousands of vehicles daily. Although the Bypass is a two-lane dual carriageway, it becomes three lanes while crossing the centre of the roundabout. It’s an attempt to avoid gridlock. Once through the roundabout, the three lanes quickly go back to two while sailing over the motorway to join the northbound M60 carriageway. A Plan B has been mentioned: taking the Bypass underneath the roundabout. Fourteen years into the Bypass project (born 2003), there still isn’t an answer to a basic question: how to connect the Bypass and the M60. The simple solution: a red light for the whole Bypass!

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Digging up the motorway twice

March 5th 2018: The M60 through Stockport would undergo major works TWICE in a few years if the A6-M60 Bypass is approved. The M60 will be worked over once to turn it into a so-called Smart motorway any way – and potentially a second time to move the line of the main carriageways on the bend at Bredbury for the Bypass. On Smart Motorways, the hard shoulder is turned into a fourth lane (difficult in the middle of Stockport) and variable speed limits are signalled on gantries. The Smart motorway work between Denton and Gatley is scheduled to start in 2020 or 2021 and to finish 2022 or 2023. Councillors were told last November that work on the Bypass could start in 2024 if the Government grants funding. Stockport Council acknowledged the clash of these two schemes when it wrote to the Government’s Transport Secretary on January 16th to ask for more Bypass money. The Government hasn’t announced its decision on the money yet.

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Speaking for Hazel Grove?

March 5th 2018: Councillor Lewis-Booth wrote in the February 21st Stockport Express that he spoke for the people of Hazel Grove ‘village’ in wanting the A6-M60 Bypass to be built. Hazel Grove resident Tracey replies in the latest issue: ‘He doesn’t speak for me or many others.’ Tracey says that ‘new roads end up being full again very quickly so the greenery lost is all for no benefit…. We will end up with a full A6 and a full bypass.’

Read our not-so-new news.

Stockport Council’s report on the Tame Valley planning application includes many striking quotes from people objecting to loss of nature, including: