HC Deb 30 March 1960 vol 620 c1299
8. Wing Commander Grant-Ferris

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has now reached any definite conclusions about anti-dazzle screening along the centre of M.1.

16. Mr. John Hall

asked the Minister of Transport if he has yet received a report from the Road Research Laboratory on the experimental anti-dazzle fence on the M.1; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Marples

I have just received a report from the Road Research Laboratory which is now being studied. The experimental length of anti-dazzle screening apparently gives satisfactory protection from glare. Before I can decide whether screening must be extended, I must consider other factors, including safety, amenity and cost.

Wing Commander Grant-Ferris

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that there are many people who think that such a screen will be not only a bad eyesore but will not prove to be a good thing from the point of view of antidazzle? Will he further consult the nurserymen of England, who are ready and able to give him sufficient plants of either privet or beech, which could be beautifully staggered, which would do the job properly and would not be difficult to trim?

Mr. Marples

I considered that and I asked the Landscape Advisory Committee to look at this for me. It advocates fencing as a temporary measure until a hedge, preferably of native bushes of a non-ornamental type, is fully grown; but one has to wait for a hedge to grow to the right height.