The bypass will run across National Trust land and alongside a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

STOP PRESS!!!

The almost extinct dormouse, a protected species under U.K. and European law, has been discovered in woodland which will be destroyed by the bypass. The dormouse is one of the UK’s rarest mammals (see this link:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1422000/1422622.stm)), is a key indicator of ancient woodland and has priority status in the species recovery programme of English Nature. Under UK law it is illegal to kill it, disturb it, or destroy its habitat without a special license. The Highways Agency are able to do just this when they bulldoze right through the middle of Piercefield Shaw. They are able to ‘coppice its habitat’ to encourage it to move on. But the only places it will be able to go to are the banks of the new dual carriageway which will form the bypass, where it will die out. English Nature is spending time and money on its programme to re-introduce the dormouse at secret locations in the UK, yet the Highways Agency has a license to permanently destroy its territory by building a noisy dual carriageway directly through the centre of one of its last remaining habitats.

NOVEMBER 2001 UPDATE: (Draft supplementary Orders are published)

There is a chance to force a public inquiry regarding the Scotney land bridge now that the draft supplementary Orders are published. However should a public inquiry be held it will only cover this one small element of the scheme, not the viability of the bypass as a whole. These Orders are available to view until 7 December at the locations listed further down the page. If there are objections to these a public inquiry may be necessary, which at least will delay the beginning of construction.

FACTS ABOUT THE PROPOSED BYPASS:

The Lamberhurst bypass is absolutely WRONG for all of these reasons:

There are no traffic jams in Lamberhurst even in the rush hour! As the A21 is a trunk road fitted with Traffic Master sensors you just need to take a look at the Traffic Master data on traffic speeds. The only time there is a queue is when there has been an accident or road works. Follow the Traffic Master link to see the REAL-TIME traffic speeds through the Lamberhurst area- when there are queues they are always miles north of the village and will not be eased at all by the imminent bypass.

The Highways Agency’s newsletter of October 2001 states that "A number of protected species have been identified". Of course this is played down as much as possible in their literature, in fact so little regard is given to it that it does not even state which species have been found. As mentioned above, the almost extinct dormouse has been discovered in Piercefield Shaw wood.

The road is due to be constructed alongside an SSSI, threatening its integrity. Much woodland is going to be destroyed, including Piercefield Shaw and National Trust woodland, plus an oak well over 200 years old where the public footpath from Lamberhurst Church crosses the river Teise.

National Trust land at Scotney Castle will be split in two and ruined. Scotney Castle is widely viewed as "One of England’s most romantic gardens". This degradation will be another threat to our tourism economy.

The environment. This is no ordinary landscape. The bypass will destroy the currently unspoiled Teise river valley which is enjoyed by many as it is the view which meets the eye from Lamberhurst Church and golf course. In the photos you will see a river valley topped with lush woodland, with banks of hop gardens, rolling fields, a river full of trout and teeming with wildlife. This is a peaceful and tranquil and above all, beautiful place.

The bypass is viewed with similar disdain as the Newbury bypass by many environmental action groups. The security costs could again mount into millions of pounds. The cost of the bypass was estimated as £12M in 1997.  http://www.dtlr.gov.uk/itwp/trunkroads/43.htm The cost must be nearer to £20m by 2002 prices. How many Hospital wings does that buy?

This small area is the prime hop growing land in the U.K. The bypass is causing the abandonment and dismantling of the wooden pole and wire framework of hop gardens on Forstal Farm because the road is due to be built straight through the middle of the hop garden. The hop industry has already had a massive decline in this country, and this farm is one of the very few still operating as a hop producer. This reduction in size will threaten the future of yet another hop farm. English beer will have to be made from even more imported hops.

Last but not least, this whole area is in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty! The status of A.O.N.B.s is now recognised by the government as equivalent to that of National Park, according to Friends of the Earth. Can you imagine building such a road in the Lake District or Snowdonia?

Apparently the bypass scheme was approved by John Prescott in order to improve links to the "deprived" south coast town of Hastings, 21 miles south of Lamberhurst. Coastal towns will always have problems of deprivation as there is no passing traffic or trade on the coastal side. How will shaving sixty seconds from the two hour long journey from Hastings to London have the slightest impact on the economy of a town 21 miles away?

Bypassing has its place and is a good thing when:

The area is of low natural beauty

The area is subject to very long traffic jams

The impact on the environment is minimal

One of many good examples would be the town of Baldock in north Hertfordshire where each rush-hour there are queues of between 1 and 2 miles, causing delays of 20 to 30 minutes on the A505 back towards the town of Royston. Yet no bypass plans have been approved for Baldock.

The Lamberhurst bypass scheme fails ALL of these criteria and is ABSOLUTELY WRONG. If the Highways Agency universally applied the same criteria being applied to Lamberhurst they would be building bypasses round every town, village, and hamlet in the country.

This scheme urgently needs a FULL review before it is too late.

As stated above, there is a chance to force a public inquiry, only into the Scotney land bridge element, now that the "draft supplementary Orders" are published. According to the Highways Agency, These "draft supplementary Orders will be open to objection for a period of six weeks following publication and if there are objections a public inquiry may be necessary". You can view these Orders until 7 December at these locations:

Highways Agency, Room G/44, St Christopher House, Southwark Street, London, SE1 0TE.

Highways Agency, Operations Directorate, Federated House, London Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SZ

Kent County Council, Highways Information Centre, Invicta House, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Town Hall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Tunbridge Wells Library, Reference Library, Mount Pleasant, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Lamberhurst Sub Post Office, High Street, Lamberhurst, Kent.

Please object to this unnecessary and environmentally offensive bypass by writing to David Jamieson, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Transport, via email:  david.jamieson@dtlr.gov.uk or at:

Rt. Hon. David Jamieson,
House of Commons,
London,
SW1A 0AA

Or at:

Rt. Hon. David Jamieson,
Headquarters and Ministerial Offices
Eland House
Bressenden Place
LONDON SW1E 5DU

Or write to Stephen Byers (Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions), via email:  stephen.byers@dtlr.gov.uk or at:

Rt. Hon. Stephen Byers,
House of Commons,
London,
SW1A 0AA

More info and pics at:  http://www.lamberhurstbypass.com/