From: Rowe, Martin <
Date: 11 May 2017 at 10:45
Subject: FW: A46 Upgrade to dual carriageway
To: "" <

Dear Diane,

I have been forwarded your e-mail from a number of those copied in below. Clearly there is significant concern in Beckford over the proposals for the A46 corridor in Worcestershire, and I hope that I will be able to clarify Worcestershire County Council's current stance on this economically significant project and provide some reassurance.

Firstly, please understand that Worcestershire County Council does not manage the A46. Although the authority has some influence, it does not have control or final say over investment proposals for this route. The route is operated and maintained by Highways England on behalf of the Department for Transport.

We are very aware of the negative impact that the A46 has on Beckford and Little Beckford currently and we will be lobbying for any future investment proposals to move the alignment of the strategic highway away from residential areas, as well as protecting and enhancing the attractive setting of these communities. This approach is clearly set out and required by current government guidance, so any future alignment of the A46 would have to provide a proper bypass of Beckford/Little Beckford, together with a comprehensive package of landscaping and environmental improvements to limit the impacts of any new route.

The 1993 consultation papers for options on the A46 are unfortunately 'life-expired', so cannot be considered for any future schemes as government guidance has been significantly updated since then. Fresh assessment of any potential routes will be required, compliant with current guidance, to assess realistically deliverable options. It should be noted that funding has not been identified for this scheme currently, so no timescales are known at present.

Please rest assured that we are fully aware of the strength of feeling from Beckford residents on this issue, as many have written to us as part of the Worcestershire LTP4 consultation to share their views. We will be responding to these formally as part of the LTP4 consultation process, which will be published online at www.worcestershire.gov.uk/LTP in due course. This consultation report will be shared with all members of Worcestershire County Council (including the Cabinet), as this is a pre-requisite for them considering the future LTP4 for adoption.

As your County Council, we are committed to ensuring that Beckford gets the best possible deal out of any future investment proposals for the A46, and will continue to lobby to that effect.

If you have any concerns or would like to discuss in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be delighted to assist.

Best wishes,

Martin

Martin Rowe BA MSc TPEng CMILT
Transport Strategy Team Leader
Transport Strategy Team
Worcestershire County Council
County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2NP
Tel: 01905 844887
Email:

------Original message ------

From: Diane Colvin <>

Date: 04/05/2017 13:48 (GMT+00:00)

To: Adrian Hardman - WCC <>, Adrian Darby <>, Vernon Smith <>, Ken Pollock <>, Elaine Mactiernan <>, Adrian Hart <>, "Maric, Lisa" <>, Lisa Spink <>, Harriet Baldwin <>, Chris Grayling <>, Andrew Jones <>, Sajid Javid <>

Subject: A46 Upgrade to dual carriageway

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