Stately home saved from bypass blight

Dec 18 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal

OWNERS of a picturesque stately home are celebrating after transport bosses shelved plans for a ring road yards from their property.

Maggie and Keith Bell, owners of Crook Hall, a 13th Century Grade I listed building in Sidegate, Durham, were among thousands of campaigners against a planned bypass which would have passed through a scenic valley close to their home.

Yesterday council bosses cited the successful park and ride scheme in Durham as a major reason for putting the plans for the city ring road on hold.

Durham County Council leader Simon Henig said: “The northern relief road will not be pursued in the short to medium term.

“We cannot say it will never be built, we don’t know whether Durham will be gridlocked in 15 years time, but we can say that the highly successful park and ride scheme has been a major contributor to easing traffic through the city centre.”

The county council was one of a handful of authorities which won Transport Innovation Funding (TIF) from the Department for Transport to help test the practicality and effectiveness of a range of solutions to current and future traffic congestion problems.

Over the last two years, the council has been carrying out extensive travel surveys in and around the city centre to test various options aimed at improving traffic management.

Options under consideration have included greater use of the park and ride service, an extension of the existing congestion charge and a possible relief road, as well as improvements to the highway infrastructure and better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.

The northern relief road would have gone from the A1 motorway near Belmont to Aykley Heads, the headquarters of Durham Police, passing within yards of Crook Hall. Announcing the outcome of the TIF study, Coun Henig said although the relief road and wider congestion charging options would be put on hold, it was clear that some action was vital to protect the city environment. He said: “It is a balancing act. We want to manage the amount of traffic entering and passing through the city, but we don’t want to put people off going there.”

The county council is now looking at extending the park and ride service to include sites at Stonebridge to the west of the city and Shincliffe to the south east, and using its own headquarters, County Hall, for public parking.

There are currently park and ride sites at Sniperley, Howlands and Belmont which opened two years ago, and which operate between 7am and 7pm, six days a week. Coun Henig said the council was also considering extending the service to open on Sundays.

The £10m park and ride scheme was designed to take long-stay traffic out of the city centre and has been a huge success, with well over one million passengers having used it since its opening.

Yesterday a joyful Mrs Bell said: “A road through this lovely valley would destroy the peace and tranquillity of Crook Hall for ever, so I am absolutely delighted that the proposal has been put on hold.

“It seems to me that promoting the park and ride service and developing the parking facilities at County Hall are excellent alternatives.”