Bypass ‘not until at least 2027’ claim refuted by county council
BUT NO TIMESCALE GIVEN AS TOWN TEAM DISMISSES RESPONSE TO POLLUTION AS ‘NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE’
DERBYSHIRE County Council has refuted claims it has said Ashbourne’s bypass will not be built until “at least 2027”, as benefits of the town’s draft Air Quality Management Area Action Plan are called into question.
Ashbourne Town Team has presented its response to the Air Quality Action Plan to Ashbourne Town Council, at a busy meeting last week attended by several residents of Buxton Road, one of the most polluted streets in Derbyshire.
The town council was due to discuss its own response to the plan, which includes measures such as thinning out tree canopies, rethinking junctions and road layouts and bolstering the use of public transport and electric cars.
The document, penned by the county council, opens with an action point to continue to develop proposals for an A515 bypass, and the town team’s list of responses begins with the comment “Derbyshire County Council states that the earliest date of completion is estimated as 2027.”
Derbyshire County Council has dismissed this comment, pointing out a planning application could be submitted next year.
A spokesman has said: “It’s too early to say when a relief road in Ashbourne could potentially open. We’re aware there has been a suggestion it may not be before 2027 but that’s not a timescale we’re working to.
“We’re in the process of carrying out investigations and survey work on land along the route and information gathered will be used to help engineers come up with the best design for the road.
“The project is still at an early stage but we’re currently working towards submitting a planning application for the road in autumn 2023.”
Other elements of the Air Quality Action Plan have been pulled apart by the town team, which has concluded in its response that the plan “is not fit for purpose.”
To meet the target of implementing the air quality improvement schemes by 2026, the town team says practical proposals need to be implemented as soon as possible.
The volunteer-run group’s suggestions include reducing the number of vehicles, particularly lorries, travelling up and down Buxton Hill, and changing the movement of traffic on Buxton Hill.
The response states: “The draft Air Quality Action Plan does not include sound actions which can tackle the current air pollution problems in Ashbourne.
“The majority of the Air Quality Action Plan’s proposed actions are unfunded and provide little or no benefit to resolving the air quality pollution in Ashbourne.
“Therefore I have to conclude that the draft Air Quality Action Plan is not fit for purpose.
“A new draft Air Quality Action Plan is therefore required before it can be considered by Derbyshire Dales District Council.
“This new plan needs to focus on practical proposals by reviewing the existing draft Air Quality Action Plan actions two and six which appear to be the principal actions to tackle air pollution in Ashbourne. Actions four and 10 are also beneficial but of less importance.
“All other draft Air Quality Action Plan actions will have no major impact on reducing air quality pollution to safe levels by 2026.”
Actions two and six would involve investigating use of transport technology and altering the “public realm” areas of St John Street, Dig Street and Compton.
While actions four and 10 centre around pre-emptive travel advice – suggesting better routes around the town – and discussing alternative routes with local heavy transport companies.
Meanwhile Derbyshire County Council has said it will continue to push forward with plans for the A515 bypass, which it says assessments show will be effective in improving town centre air quality.
The bypass is, however, only one part of an 11-point action plan, which the authority is legally obliged to draw up.
Ashbourne Town Council discussed the action plan at its Community and Environment committee meeting on Tuesday last week, after listening to pleas from residents who are living in homes inches away from hundreds of lorries passing by every day.
Councillors agreed to write a strongly-worded letter to Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Dales District Council, in response to the Air Quality Action Plan, after discussing the action points and the town team’s response, and concluding that the pollution in Buxton Road is “killing people”.
Along with a more detailed set of responses, it was mooted that the town council’s letter is set to start with “Does the district and county council want to be responsible for deaths that can almost certainly be traced back historically to the pollution suffered by Buxton Hill residents?”