Go west, council chief urges over bypass
■ THE proposed Ashbourne bypass should be to the west, the chief of Derbyshire Dales council has reported, warning it may not happen anytime soon and recommending that traffic calming measures be implemented urgently in the town
MEASURES to manage traffic volumes in Ashbourne’s town centre should be put in place “as soon as feasibly possible”, says Derbyshire Dales District Council’s chief executive – who has said in a report the town’s bypass could be “a long way off”.
Paul Wilson has outlined his views on the bypass in a report for the authority’s environment committee, in which he asks councillors to support early plans for a Western route as part of the public consultation.
In his report, which was released yesterday ahead of the virtual meeting on Wednesday, December 16, he pointed out potential issues with the longer Eastern route which is currently listed as an option, because he feels it could impact on the 1,400 homes proposed for the airfield as part of the Derbyshire Dales Local Plan.
Mr Wilson has recommended district councillors support one of the routes in option 3, which is the Western alignment between Mayfield Road and the A515 north of Buxton Road.
Another problem he cites with the Eastern route is that the new link road and A52 roundabout being built for the Airfield Industrial Estate might not be able to cope with the added volume of traffic an A515 bypass would bring.
He said in the report: “Taking all these factors into account it is considered that the District Council should advise Derbyshire County Council that it supports the development of a Western Bypass for Ashbourne (Option 3) and, on the basis of the current alignment shown, that it indicated concern about the impact of an eastern bypass on the delivery of development at the Ashbourne Airfield.
“Notwithstanding the recommendation of support for a Western Bypass – given that there is currently no identified funding available to deliver any of the three routes – it is likely to be some considerable time before the county council is in a position to move towards implementation.
“In the meantime, the traffic and environmental conditions in the town centre, without intervention, are likely to continue to deteriorate.
“It is therefore recommended that, as part of this consultation, Derbyshire County Council be advised that the district council consider that, in order to address this, mitigation measures be implemented within Ashbourne town centre as soon as feasibly possible.”
Mr Wilson has also pointed out to councillors that the two proposed western routes might lead to the potential unlocking of a patch of land that was once mooted as a permanent home for a family of travellers.
Initial drawings for the A515 relief road sent the route straight over a patch of county council-owned waste land in Watery Lane – but neither of the current proposed routes would affect it.
Derbyshire Dales District Council gave itself planning permission to develop the land into a permanent travellers’ site several years ago but the county council stepped in following a change of political administration and said it would not hand over the plot because it could affect future plans for the bypass.
Mr Wilson has hinted at the new route’s avoidance of the plot in his report but concedes the county council might still be reluctant to give the land over for such a controversial use.
He said: “One potential consequential benefit for the district council of the routes shown in the consultation is that the site identified in the adopted Derbyshire Dales Local Plan for a Gypsy and Traveller site under Policy HC6 does not appear to be adversely affected by any of the proposals.
“However, it is assumed that the position of the county council in regard to the availability of this site for future consideration remains unchanged.”
Derbyshire Dales District Council is exploring the conversion of a piece of land in Tansley for use by travellers but officers have been meeting stiff local opposition ahead of moving to the planning phase, including a series of legal challenges.
The Dales District Council environment committee will discuss Mr Wilson’s report and recommendations at the meeting next Wednesday, from 6pm, and the Zoom meeting will be broadcast on Youtube.
The Derbyshire County Council consultation into the routes the bypass could take is ongoing, and will run until Friday, December 18. To take part in the consultation, visit ashbourne.consultation.ai