FRESH plans have been submitted for the £65 million dualling of York’s outer ring road.

The revised proposals, which will go before city planners on March 19, have won the provisional support of (or at least are not objected to by) a number of key agencies, including the Environment Agency, Historic England, Natural England, the Foss Internal Drainage Board and Active Travel England.

But there have also been a total of 137 objections, including from York Green Party, York Environment Forum, York Cycle Campaign and Get Cycling.

Here’s what some of those commenting on the proposals have had to say...

FOR

Active Travel England: Recommends conditional approval of the scheme, subject to ‘road lighting at cycleway and footway locations outside of the roundabout and other conflict areas’ and phased lighting elsewhere on cycle/ pedestrian routes to ensure ‘appropriate low level lighting will be incorporated at regular intervals’.

 

NO OBJECTION

Environment Agency: No objections but advises that some sections of the proposals lie within Flood Zones 2 (medium probability) and 3 (high probability)

Foss Internal Drainage Board: No objections raised subject to recommendations that any approval granted should include conditions securing the proposed drainage works.

Natural England: No objections subject to ‘appropriate mitigation’, this to include provision of an ‘oil interceptor and vortex grit separator’ to protect Clifton Ings and Rawcliffe Meadows SSSI.

Earswick Parish council: No objection, but says the scheme will lead to a ‘worsening of the traffic bottlenecks at the Strensall Road/A1237 roundabout’. Other local parish councils, while not objecting, also point to local issues such as the lack of safe cycle routes across the ring road and into the centre of York.

 

OBJECT

The latest planning application has attracted a total 137 objections, including:

York Green Party: objects on the grounds that dualling the ring road would lead to more traffic – and would fly in the teeth of the council’s own climate emergency action plan, which calls for a 25 per cent reduction in cars

York Environment Forum: objects because dualling the ring road is ‘unnecessary’. The forum recommends less environmentally damaging methods to combat congestion, including lower speed limits, more low traffic neighbourhoods, free bike hire, subsidised bus fares, increasing parking bans outside schools, buses that carry bikes, and more bus priority measures.

York Cycle Campaign: objects because the scheme ‘fails to provide infrastructure for cyclists that is safe and in line with Department for Transport design guidance’

Other objections summarised in the council’s planning report include:

  • The proposals will not resolve traffic issues
  • Why haven’t alternatives such as reinstating tram lines been considered
  • The proposals will lead to increased air pollution (and ) greenhouse gas emissions
  • Significant amounts of trees will be removed. The replacements will take years to grow
  • It is those who live closest to the proposals who will be most impacted
  • The submission contains deeply flawed assumptions regarding the impacts, benefits and mitigations
  • Until buses in the city are adequately sorted it will not matter what you do to reduce car travel

You can read the full planning application, and see comments made about it, at democracy.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=14471