Archived press release

Lorries to drive pass homes every 25 seconds

6 July 2004

Friends of the Earth targets communities along access road to proposed port at Bathside Bay

Friends of the Earth is urging people living along the A120 between Harwich and Colchester to tell the Public Inquiry into the proposed container port at Bathside Bay that they don't want more than 3,500 extra lorry trips 24 hours a day (one lorry every 25 seconds, day and night) on the road running by their homes.

Leaflets are being delivered to the communities this weekend by Friends of the Earth to remind people what is being proposed at Harwich, what it will mean for them and how they can make their voices heard at the Public Inquiry.

Mary Edwards, Regional Campaigner for Friends of the Earth in the East of England said,

"We are now being told that there will be between 3,000 and 4,500 [1] or possibly more lorry trips every day along the road bringing noise and air pollution as well as congestion to local communities. At 3,500 lorries that means one lorry every 25 seconds, day and night. The A120 will cut a noisy swathe through this part of the Essex countryside.

"These communities need to know that the new Traffic Impact Assessment [2] for the road, which will be presented to the Inquiry from July 13th, does not show where the road will be widened, provides no definite proposals for the roadway between junctions, does not include an environmental impact assessment or indicate how much new land will be taken for these road works."

"There has been no public consultation over the road works and yet if the port gets the go ahead it won't be possible to stop the road work as the developers, HPUK, have now agreed with the Highways Agency [3] about the need for substantial work to be done on the A120 to accommodate the increase in HGV traffic to and from the port. It will be too late for an environmental impact assessment to have meaning and too late to object. So we are urging everyone to tell the Inspector now that they don't want the lorries and they don't want the port."

The new Traffic Impact Assessment has not satisfied the Highways Agency who says that there is still insufficient information to allow a final definitive decision on the port development to be made within the time frame of this Inquiry, and the TIA has left Tendring District Council with many unanswered questions [4].

Notes

[1] There is considerable variation in the forecasts of numbers of lorries with the developers making conservative estimates and the sensitivity tests completed on behalf of the Highways Agency pointing to an average of 4,300 lorry movements daily. Proof of Evidence on Theme 6 Traffic by Michael Horsfall to the Bathside Bay Public Inquiry on behalf of the Highways Agency (HA21)

[2] The new Traffic Impact Assessment from HPUK is contained in 4 volumes including data sheets. The Traffic Impact Assessment Sensitivity Tests are contained in 2 volumes. They are available on the planning inspectorate web site http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk, the council offices of Tendring District Council and the Harwich Library, Dovercourt.

[3] Proof of Evidence on Theme 6 Traffic by Michael Horsfall to the Bathside Bay Public Inquiry on behalf of the Highways Agency (HA21)

[4] Tendring District Council, in their Proof of Evidence for Theme 6, Traffic, says:

8.1 The latest traffic assessment implies an extra land take, environmental impacts and further mitigation measures not envisaged in the original Environmental Impact Assessment.

8.2 No design details of the upgraded highways are available and whether they would involve off-line realignments or could be achieved mainly within the existing highway boundaries.

8.3 The impacts have not at this stage been identified and cannot therefore be taken into account.

8.4 The County Council and the Highway Authority has yet to provide evidence on whether the latest technical assessments are acceptable and provide guidance the implications for the highway network in terms of strategic planning priorities. Any scheme for the trunk road would need to go through the Highway Agency's normal design, consultation, assessment processes (including any necessary land acquisition) prior to inclusion, if appropriate, in an on-going implementation programme, assuming it is funded in whole or part by the developer.

8.5 As a major proposal the project may need to be the subject of an independent Environmental Impact Assessment.

8.6 At this stage therefore the scheme has no formal status.

8.67 To date no improvements to the A120 in Tendring have been scheduled to be included in the Highway Agency's trunk road programme, as indicated in paragraph 4.8. (Proof of Evidence, Theme 6, Bathside Bay Public Inquiry, Tendring District Council, June 14th, 2004)

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust