A556 proposed new route
UPDATE: A556 Awareness Walk - 19th January 2013 - a hardy group of walkers braved the weather to visit some of the spots that will be blighted by the new road should it go ahead. A full report will be printed in CPRE Cheshire's Spring Newsletter 2013. For CPRE Cheshire Branch's position on the A556, please see below.
CPRE Cheshire Branch's Position: Proposed A556 Knutsford to Bowdon By-Pass Road.
On 31 January, a number of members of CPRE Cheshire Branch's Executive Committee visited the Highways Agency exhibition for the above project at the Cottons Hotel Knutsford and discussed the details of the proposed plans and the by-pass route with representatives of consultants Jacobs and contractor Costain.
We noted that the proposed route would pass from Junction 19 on the M6 motorway across valuable open farmland to the west of the existing A556 road rejoining the existing road north of the Bucklow Hill junction. We noted also that a continuous over-pass linking the existing road directly to the M56 motorway is proposed at the Lymm roundabout which would alleviate the rush hour congestion at this junction.
We strongly object to this proposal, which will take out swathes of valuable farmland to the west of the existing A556 and create untold disruption to the settlements at Millington, High Legh, Hulse Heath and Hoo Green without any significant benefit to road users and at a huge cost to the Government and taxpayers.
We do, however, support the continuous loop or over-pass at the Lymm roundabout junction as this will significantly improve and largely remove the rush hour congestion at this point.
We recommend that the existing A556 dual carriageway is improved with a central barrier throughout the whole length of the road from Junction 19 to the proposed Lymm junction continuous loop road onto the M56. We realise that this solution would result in the removal of small buildings along the route on the west side at the Bucklow Hill junction, A50 junction for which compensation would be required. We would also expect that a small amount of land on the east side at the Rostherne Mere would be required. However, this solution would alleviate the dangers on this road which is heavily used during the rush hours but not congested outside of the morning and early evening periods. It would also ensure that valuable farmland is not swallowed up by this unnecessary and excessively wasteful scheme.
CPRE is committed to the protection of our valuable green fields from unnecessary development.