ee-- forfor PEGSWOODPEGSWOOD DivisionDivision Liberal FFocusocus Democrats For residents in PEGSWOOD, LONGHIRST, HEBRON, FAIRMOOR, AUTUMN NORTHGATE, TRITLINGTON, FENROTHER, CAUSEY PARK, EARSDON, WEST CHEVINGTON , STOBSWOOD & ULGHAM 2017 The Route for Dualling the A1 in Pegswood Division In 2014, when Alan Beith was MP for the Berwick upon Tweed constituency, the coalition government announced that sections the A1 in Northumberland would be upgraded to dual carriageway. Later than was expected, Highways England has announced the preferred route from Morpeth to Felton. The Green route option has been chosen. This was the most popular route in the public consultation that took place late last year. The majority of the work will be west of the existing A1 highway, most of which will be retained to act as a local road after the scheme has been completed. The new A1 is to be accessed with new junctions close to the existing Hebron Road junction, east of Fenrother and at Westmoor. To maintain existing routes there will be an overbridge at Causey Park and an underbridge at Burgham. Preliminary design work is continuing, with further community consultation in 2018, an examination by the Planning Inspectorate and a Secretary of State decision late in 2019 or early in 2020. It is planned to open this section of the A1 through Pegswood Division in 2023. Details of the scheme and further updates can be The above photograph is taken from the A697 seen at www.highways.gov.uk/A1inNorthumberland bridge over the A1 at Fairmoor. The project team can be contacted by telephone at It shows the start of the existing A1 single 0300 470 4585 or by email at carriageway which is to be dualled and opened in [email protected] 2023 LIBERAL DEMOCRATS locally . Keeping in touch . Reporting back . All year round . Year after year Speeding traffic in our villages The FOCUSFOCUS Editorial Residents living in our rural villages often complain about, 1) The high proportion of traffic that flouts speed limits, by Cllr David Woodard 2) The lack of enforcement of speed limits. Highway authorities, such as Northumberland County In local elections there has Council, NCC, have the freedom to introduce lower always an element of national maximum speed limits and are being encouraged by voting and Liberal Democrat Government to find local solutions. candidates have often gained when the predominant party Northumbria Police have other priorities and limited resources to take effective enforcement action. be it Labour or Conservative has been in decline nationally. There is evidence that the introduction of 20 mph limits does reduce traffic speeds and increase road safety. In the Tory stronghold of Ponteland, before a Tory Government was replaced by Labour in 1997, the Reducing the 60mph maximum speed limit to 40mph at Lib Dems won six of the eight Ponteland seats on the entrances to a village is sensible where bends and Castle Morpeth Borough Council. dips in the roads exist and accidents that have occurred due to speeding. This can also helps to lower the speed In Pegswood in 2008, before Labour were to be of traffic entering villages. defeated at the 2010 general election, the Lib Dem Changing signage is cheaper than physical changes to candidate won the Pegswood County seat for the the highway such as rumble strips and chicanes. first time from Labour, and a total of 25 Lib Dem Northumberland county councillors were elected. A Northumberland County Council scheme initiated by Ulgham Parish Council proposes that:- The above local election successes were not entirely due to national influences however. They The maximum speed limit on roads within were achieved by the hard work put in locally by Ulgham village is reduced to from 30 mph to 20mph. Lib Dems and their supporters over several years. As a result, on the doorstep, people have often 40mph buffer zones are introduced on the said they will vote Lib Dem locally but not B1337 approaches to Ulgham village and on necessarily at a general election. the C120 road through Ulgham Grange to beyond the railway crossing. In April of this year Mrs May called a snap general election and created an unprecedented 30mph maximum speed limits be introduced situation. Electors were going to vote locally just on the C124 Ulgham Lane to beyond the 16 days after the snap election had been called. railway crossing, and also on the road to National voting was going to have a big impact Ulgham Park. on a local election. The views from local residents are being analysed by Mrs May’s attack on Jeremy Corbyn did not give County Council highways officers and changes may be her the increased majority she wanted but it made before the Ulgham scheme is implemented. certainly helped to increase the votes cast for the Labour and Conservative candidates in the The Northumberland Local Plan county council election on May 4th. The incoming Conservative administration has withdrawn For the Lib Dems there was to be some good the Northumberland Local Plan: Core Strategy Pre- news to reflect upon in Pegswood Division and Submission Draft Plan from the public examination that thanks go to 431 people who voted Lib Dem. This was due to take place earlier this year. was 108 votes more than in 2013 with their share of the total vote increasing by 2.5% to 28.1%. Work on this plan started eight years ago following the abolition of the six district councils and the creation of a But, with UKIP deciding not to field a candidate, unitary authority. the Tory candidate profited most and took the Pegswood seat with a 37.8% share of the vote. Close cross party working and agreement was always going to be required. This has not happened. Liberal Democrats have more members than the The previous Labour administration and the incoming Conservatives and membership continues to rise, Conservative administration must share the blame. We will fight for the beliefs and values we hold The Northumberland Local Plan: Core Strategy Pre- dear. To join us visit www.libdems.org.uk Submission Draft Plan is no longer material to the decision making process that determines planning applications. News and Views from the local FOCUS team Liberal Democrats Three Northumberland MPs A 125 housing site in Pegswood? instead of the current four? Barratt Homes lodged an application 17/02177/FUL with Northumberland County Council in June. Barratt want to The Boundary Commission for England have build 125 houses, including the associated access and issued revised proposals to replace the four infrastructure, on land north east of Hebron Avenue in parliamentary constituencies in Northumberland Pegswood village. (Berwick upon Tweed, Blyth Valley, Hexham and In the Morpeth Neighbourhood Plan this site was identified Wansbeck) with three larger constituencies. for 61 houses. To see the plan and associated documents go This was a boundary review initiated by David to www.themorpethneighbourhoodplan.org.uk Cameron after the 2015 general election. Pegswood Parish Council have objected to Barratt’s proposal. The new constituencies proposed are Berwick & It sees the proposal as an overdevelopment of the site and Morpeth, Blyth & Ashington and Hexham & have cited the Housing Site Allocation and Assessment 2015, Cramlington. Pegswood Division is in the Berwick referred to in the Morpeth Neighbourhood Plan, and given and Morpeth constituency with Alnwick and other other more detailed reasons for refusal. county divisions in the north of Northumberland. Pegswood Parish Council has also objected to the highway We think this is an improvement on the works proposed on the main road into the village. For road Commission’s previous proposals which placed safety reasons it wants to see a design which recognises the Pegswood and the three Morpeth divisions in with existence of a blind summit and the speed of traffic entering Hexham and Berwick with Ashington. the village and passing the point of access from the Barratt site. It has asked for a meeting with county highway officers. We expect that few people will get over-excited by these proposals. They rarely come in contact with It is understood that the application could go to the their current MPs, especially in the rural areas. December meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee, if not to a meeting early in the new year. Why did the Boundary review take place? A reduction from a total of 650 to 600 was in the Conservative 2015 election manifesto. The Tories said it would save money, but most people believe 25 houses in Ulgham - An appeal it was because the Tories had thought they would An appeal against the decision of Northumberland County be taking seats from Labour at a future election. Council to refuse planning permission for 25 dwellings at Will the boundary proposals be implemented? Southcroft Stables been made to the Secretary of State. Some Tory MPs have seen their seats disappear or The appeal will be determined on the basis of written be merged. They are therefore concerned that representations. The County Council has therefore forwarded they may not be re-elected. to the Planning Inspectorate and the appellant all of the In view of the self interest expressed by Tory representations made previously to planning application ref. MPs and the Government’s flaky majority it is 17/00772/OUT. These documents, the council committee unlikely that the Boundary Commission for report and the decision notice issued can be seen at England proposals will be implemented. https://publicaccess.northumberland.gov.uk/online- applications/ This isn’t the first time that the applicant has been refused See previous FOCUS permission to develop land at Southcroft Stables. Planning newsletters at application 15/02767/OUT was refused permission in 2015 and at a subsequent appeal the Inspector concluded that www.davidwoodard.uk this appeal should be dismissed.