NEWS: ENDS Report January 10, 2020
AONB dual carriageway gets go-ahead against Natural England advice
The Ends Report article says “A new single and dual carriageway running through 1.6km of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was granted planning permission yesterday against the advice of Natural England and its conservation board” and a further 80 objections.
“Last year, Natural England strongly objected to Central Bedfordshire Council’s plans to build a 4.4km bypass linking the M1 and the A6 in support of the government’s planned Oxford-Cambridge growth arc.
“According to the council’s environmental statement, it is predicted that the new M1-A6 road link will help build 4,000 dwellings and create a minimum of 20 hectares of employment land as part of the Ox-Cam proposals.“
Natural England’s objections focused on “the central section of the approved bypass – a 1.6km route through the protected Chilterns AONB be"tween Luton and Lower Sundon.” They said it would bring “noise, air pollution, light pollution and visual intrusion” to the protected area, with impacts on a “47 hectare biological SSSI in Warden Hill that provides essential habitat for 20 species of butterfly and nationally important and rare flora.”
The report also states Natural England “slammed the council’s environmental mitigation plans”.and said it was “unclear how the proposals demonstrate[d] biodiversity net gain overall in any measurable way.”
Other routes were available to the council which would have avoided the AONB.
The Council approved the permission based on “exceptional circumstances” i.e. that the dual new road would help Government deliver its vision for the Oxford-Cambridge “growth arc”.
Late last year, Oxfordshire County Council withdrew its support for the Ox-Cam link on climate change grounds and called for a new railway line instead.
Bedford Today reports “Bedford Borough Council has launched a rail investment strategy, setting out priorities for railway services focused around better connectivity and new and better stations.”
NEG’s View
It’s amazing that a council can ignore Natural England, Chiltons Conservation Board and 80 other objections! It’s scary that, whilst they could have approved a different route which wouldn’t rip it’s way through part of the Chiltons’ Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty they chose not to. The Council chose to wreak huge unnecessary environmental damage .
This is just 4.4 km or dual carriageway “bypass”. What untold damage to critical habitats would a full Oxford to Cambridge Expressway do? What destruction would 1 million new houses and all the infrastructure that goes with them cause?
We have to do things differently. Once it’s gone, it’s gone!
Angry about the disregard for the environment and the focus on profit? Sign our petition now!
You can see the full Ends Report article here and the Bedford Today article here.
You can see Central Bedfordshire Council Decision information here.
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