A14 what you can do:

We are asking all villagers to take the time to:

• Fill in and return the Highways Agency Questionnaire and
• Write a separate letter to the Highways Agency (some suggested points below)

If you can please copy your letters to

1. Jonathan Djanogly MP
2. Ian Bates
3. Chris Stephens
4. The Secretary of State for Transport

If you have email you can copy your letter easily. All the necessary contact information is given at the end of this document. Every adult member of your household can comment individually if they wish.  Please ask your friends and neighbours to do the same. If you have mislaid your Highways Agency leaflet contact Lissie Wright 01480 830577 who has spares.

Click here for an Example Standard Letter you can use (MS Word format, 36KB)

Key dates

The deadline for sending your comments to the Highways Agency is 9th March 2007. If you want your MP and local councillors to reflect Hilton’s views in their own response they will need them sooner, by 26th February at the latest. We understand that the District Council will be voting on the route on 21st February.

So for maximum impact get your letters to everyone by 19th February.  

REMEMBER EVERY LETTER COUNTS!!

Points to raise in letters to the Highways Authority

Here are a series of points we consider worth raising. If you have any points not included here please use them. If reading this gives you some better ideas please share them with us.

Main points

Your Action Group has studied the route options and considers the BROWN route is closest to the CHUMMS scheme, which Hilton has been pressing for so far. Due to its closeness to more of our village the ORANGE route is detrimental to Hilton and should be opposed. 

1. Noise. If you look at the projected noise levels at all properties along each route, there will clearly be winners and losers. However the Brown route actually has the most winners and the least losers.
2. The Orange route has the greatest impact on currently tranquil countryside south of the existing A14.
3. Blue route Option 2, although taking the route further away from Hilton, will create a major junction at Galley Hill. This will increase the likelihood of through traffic passing through the centre of Hilton.
4. Current proposals for all routes indicate that the carriageway will be raised by 2 metres or more above ground level from Fen Drayton north most of the way to Wood Green. This will increase visual intrusion and noise pollution, raises concerns about the impact on flood risk in Hilton and will be much harder to screen. Demand this is critically re-examined to determine whether the road needs to be raised by as much as 2 metres – after all the current A14 has never flooded.
5. Whatever route is chosen effective amelioration to reduce the impact on local communities is essential. Ask for extensive screening by tree planting in 30 metre bands to reduce the impact on residents beyond 300m as well as earth banking and acoustic fencing for those living closer to the route. Tree planting should be undertaken as early as possible during construction, or before it, to allow trees to establish and screening to be effective as soon as possible.
6. Drainage. Water run off from a six lane highway together with any impedance of watercourses could increase local flooding. Insist on a full drainage proposals being presented.
7. Construction traffic. We are only too aware of the number of heavy goods vehicles passing through Hilton. Insist that the Highways Agency agreements with contractors bar the use of the B1040 by road construction traffic.
8. In view of the impact of the new road please request a full Public Enquiry where all these issues can be examined.
   
   
   Subsidiary points
   
9. Landfill site –. Three points you might raise –

• The environmental risks may be overstated given that the indicative design assumes all existing fill beneath the carriageway will be removed

• There may be other, cheaper methods of crossing the landfill without compromising environmental safety

• Both central and local government have set targets to reduce the amount of household and other waste going to landfill and encourage recycling therefore the loss of part of the amenity at the landfill site should not be a serious objection to using the northern site.

Costs – The HA’s own economic analysis over the life of the road (60 years) shows that there is very little difference between the routes and states in relation to costs ‘Given the similarity of route options, it is likely that choice of route option would be determined by other factors, such as environmental impact or proximity of the route to potential objectors.’

Contact Info: