The Bypass would burrow under Marple Road A626, curving first south-west, then south-east across fields to reach the A627 at the edge of Hazel Grove.

For the moment, this green corridor provides a buffer between Offerton and Bosden Farm Estates; a breathing space from the pollution of the A6 and A626.

Views from Dial Park Primary School and Half Moon Lane, as pictured above, are magnificent (for the time being!)

Approaching to within a stone’s throw of homes at times, the Bypass would be a noisy neighbour. From under the A626 the Bypass would plough straight into Offerton Hall Allotments and destroy the wood below Dial Park Primary School.

The Foggbrook woodland to be bulldozed is a Site of Biological Importance. It appears in an 1848 tythe map and has since expanded to cover the former mill pool of the demolished Foggbrook Mill.

To the east of the main Bypass carriageways, a link road  from the A626 would loop towards the houses of Braeside before turning back to join the Bypass at traffic signals. This major junction would be 100 metres from the closest primary school building – in defiance of the accepted view that schools should not be placed within 150 yards of busy roads – let alone dual carriageways.

The link road from the A626 would flatten a hillock that is potentially an ancient monument. Around this part of the Bypass route, construction may also destroy buried remains of a Roman road running into Manchester through or close to where the primary school now is.

Beyond the junction with the link road, the route comes within 150 metres of Alfreton Road, Offerton. It then swings towards Bean Leach Road and Bosden Farm Estate – the sliced up fields risk becoming little better than waste ground, including some embankments to lessen the road’s impact. Poise Brook  would be forced from its present course.

The planned single carriageway Stepping Hill Link would meet the Bypass just before it is due to cross under Bean Leach Road, which would be lifted up on a bridge. This combined major intrusion would be thumped down disturbingly close to houses on Minsmere Walks on the Bosden Farm Estate. Bean Leach’s narrow traffic-calming bridge over Poise Brook would disappear.

The Bypass would touch Brook House Farm buildings as it bends on a low embankment towards houses at the bottom end of Bosden Farm Estate in Kingfisher Road.  A slice of Peregrine Park at the tip of the estate would be lost.

Not far away across a field to the south are Farndon Road and other streets of Hazel Grove, while residents of nearby Talbot Street would have the busy Stepping Hill Link  just behind them.

Due south of Peregrine Park at the top of Hazel Grove is the reservoir of the former Wellington Mill. This is a peaceful spot that would be disrupted by the Bypass 50 metres away.

Just a little further east, the bypass would have a major junction with the A627 before swinging around Torkington’s green borders. See more plans of the Bypass route.

Walking from Foggbrook:  Many paths are very muddy and ponies may be in the field. Following the route on foot (see black dots on top map), we cross the A626 from Holiday Lane (but move east, away from suicide bend !) and go through the gap in the stone walls.  Going straight ahead, we descend steeply to Poise Brook (or find another path if too slippery).

We step across a tributary (directly on the Bypass route) and continue beyond the trees, where we find a path above a pipe line. We go west across the field to a stile taking us on to Alfreton Road with its fine views (see top picture)  We continue along the road to a left turn, Crowsdale Place, taking us to a path back across more fields. At the eastbound hedge ahead of us, we take the stile on the left, not directly ahead, and cross the next field diagonally to the south east corner and a stile through to Bean Leach Road. 

Turning right, we follow the road to its end and turn left into Bosden Fold Road which later becomes Cooper Street. At a sharp bend by the Poise Brook we leave the road and take a footpath, officially the start of Cown Edge Way. The path crosses the fields almost to the houses of Bosden Farm Estate and a right turn through trees. When the path reaches the A626 we turn right to continue the walk through Torkington.