Leaflet text, in response to Glastonbury Town Council's 'Road Consultation', February 2018
Although a bypass is an attractive proposition at first sight, this suggestion needs a second look. The questionnaire, due to arrive soon after February 14th, has been hastily prepared and lacks a lot of important information – which is needed for people to make a properly informed decision.
Firstly, funding for the proposed road would come from the Transport Department’s National Roads Fund, in partnership with private developers. This would mean:
• A road without the development is not an option. It would only go ahead with substantial housing and commercial development along the route.
• For the northern route, this could be 1,000 houses – a 20% increase in Glastonbury’s size!
• The development would be entirely outside the town’s agreed development boundary.
Second, this new road would not simply be a bypass for Glastonbury. As part of their proposal for a new national road network, the government has raised the possibility of upgrading the A361 and the A39 between Frome and the M5. This could include a bypass around Glastonbury, as an ‘improvement’ to the A361 as part of creating a strategic road. This would mean:
• An increase in traffic and pollution through the Glastonbury area.
• Most of this traffic is not local traffic. We just happen to live on its route.
• Key decisions concerning the development would be made in London – which is where the results of the questionnaire will be sent in March.
The combination of a major road and substantial development would have an enormous impact on Glastonbury’s world-renowned landscape. Particularly if the ‘northern’ route were chosen, along the old railway line behind the Tor, the damage to our heritage, our environment and our tourist trade could be far greater than the current problem of heavy traffic. There are other ways of solving that problem. Rerouting lorries away from Glastonbury is still very much achievable and would take the strategic road away with it, making a bypass unnecessary. That would be real progress.
These additional pieces are designed to answer specific questions arising from the consultation:
What are the alternative routes to the A361 through Glastonbury?
The Town Council has said that this consultation is only ‘preliminary’, and that we can consult further when we have ‘all the information’. Is this true?
What is the planning status of the old railway line? Surely the District Council’s Local Plan will spell out what it can be used for?
Why is the Road Consultation being carried out in such a rush?
In addition my latest blog post discusses the 'southern route' option.
What are the alternative routes to the A361 through Glastonbury?
The Town Council has said that this consultation is only ‘preliminary’, and that we can consult further when we have ‘all the information’. Is this true?
What is the planning status of the old railway line? Surely the District Council’s Local Plan will spell out what it can be used for?
Why is the Road Consultation being carried out in such a rush?
In addition my latest blog post discusses the 'southern route' option.
