Traffic (2)

The photographs show horse riders and a harvester seen recently on the U467, and damage to the carriageway edges can be seen on the left of the lower photograph. The width of the road is the same all the way to its junction with the B961

Although not yet clear, our expectation is that the HGVs servicing the site will either be multi–axles or articulated, and these will of course predominate in the construction phase of the site’s development, and be particularly troublesome

In its document ‘Technical Measures Document (deals with) design codes relating to roadways ….’ (2) the Health and Safety Executive says that “All two - way industrial roads should have a minimum width of 7.3 metres. Curves should be of sufficiently large radius to permit HGVs to pass without the need for local widening. Only where this is not reasonably practicable should local widening be provided to cater for the swept path of HGV vehicles

The current width of the U467 therefore falls well below the minimum recommended by the HSE, but the document does refer to the possibility for ‘local widening’, which then begs the question of where would this local widening take place

For approximately 577 metres south of the proposed entrance to the development site the U467 is bounded by verges and dry stone dykes on both sides, except where the applicant has already destroyed a length of it, right by the proposed entrance, in seeming anticipation of planning permission being granted

The verges are both overgrown and steep, varying between one and three metres wide. The one on the west side conceals a culvert containing cables for much of its length.