Controversial Carrington Relief Road approved
The controversial Carrington relief road plan has been approved, despite hundreds of objections
The controversial Carrington relief road plan has been approved, despite hundreds of objections.
For decades, the relief road has been seen as the solution to traffic woes in the Partington and Carrington areas of Trafford. Diverting traffic away from the overly congested A6144 is seen as one of the major goals of the project.
But when Trafford council tabled plans to finally deliver Carrington Relief Road, it caused uproar, with 680 letters of objection and a petition signed by over 1,000 people.
Campaigners say this scheme will eat up a chunk of Carrington Moss nature reserve, destroying wildlife habitats and ecosystems along with it. Objectors also fear the plan could actually increase the number of cars passing through the area, with traffic from the nearby M60 and M62 motorways possibly using the route.
A planning committee meeting to decide on the fate of the scheme was held on November 5. The 2.7-mile road would link the A6144 Manchester Road to the west with the A6144 Carrington Spur in the east, the committee in Trafford Town Hall was told.
Part of the route would follow the currently private A1 road through the industrial area that sits between Carrington and Partington. The rest would cut through what has been judged to be ‘best and most versatile’ farmland.
The relief road was described by planning officers as an ‘integral part’ of the New Carrington Plan. This major scheme is estimated to bring around 5,000 new homes and 350,000sqm of new employment space to the area.
Without the relief road, the New Carrington Plan cannot go ahead, the planning committee was warned. Benefits of increased job opportunities, thousands of homes and improvements to the road network infrastructure would all be lost if the overarching plan didn’t go ahead.
Lorraine Eagling from the Friends of Carrington Moss group said: “Not a single community group supports this scheme.”
She suggested that the council should move forward with the western part of the road, but reconsider the eastern section. Their alternative idea would see the eastern link, which connects the A1 to the Carrington Spur across fields, removed.
Instead, the group wants to see the road turn northwards to re-join the existing road network which they say should be upgraded to cope with additional traffic.
Speaking against the scheme alongside the campaigners, local ward councillor Charlotte Waterworth pointed out that this scheme could see the number of trips increase from an average of 7,000 to 30,000.
She added: “More traffic, more congestion and more pressure on the road. If the relief road ultimately results in residents expecting more traffic, it’s fair to ask if they are being relieved.”
She went on to point out biodiversity, climate resilience, habitats and water retention Carrington Moss provides are still important. She suggested the council is giving into outside pressure to develop on the land.
Deputy council leader Liz Patel, speaking on behalf of developer Trafford council, told the committee how delivering ‘has been a decade long commitment’ to Carrington. She added that the route would be key to delivering 5,000 homes and all the employment and economic benefits that will come with the overarching masterplan.
“This is a comprehensive and deliverable proposal. This process has considered all alternative routes.
“This has been thoroughly considered to be the optimal route. The A6144 is the only route in and out of that area and that has remained unchanged since the 19th century.
“It has held Partington and Carrington back.”
Coun Meena Minnis called the overall scheme ‘a disaster’. She said the potential damage to the habitats and endangered species on the relief road made her ‘ashamed to be a human’.
Coun David Acton repeated the benefits the scheme would bring in traffic reduction and unlocking the wider masterplan. He suggested ‘we should just get on with it now’.
Coun Shirley Procter said she was originally against the scheme due to the environmental damage it would cause to the habitats and the peatland. But she feels her concerns have now been addressed.
She added: “This morning I drove along the A6144 and counted all the lorries. I never noticed the sheer amount of traffic, including lorries.”
Coun Procter felt the need to build more homes and address traffic problems outweighed any remaining doubts she had.
The planning committee chair, Coun Ben Hartley, highlighted that if they were to refuse this application, this would lead to the wider scheme not going forward. According to the chair, the impact of this would lead to other housing developments being proposed on other sections of land around the Trafford borough.
“This is clearly the better option,” he added.
The committee narrowly voted to approve the relief road by a vote of seven to six. Objectors in the public gallery could be heard shouting ‘it’s a disgrace’ following the decision.