HC Deb 25 January 2002 vol 378 cc1172-80

Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Jim Fitzpatrick.]

2.30 pm
Mrs. Patsy Calton (Cheadle)

I am delighted to have secured this debate on the south-east Manchester multi-modal study, which affords me an opportunity to request that the Minister make a statement. The study was announced at the same time as a Government decision to detrunk, or refuse trunk status to, a number of roads in south-east Manchester. Thus, in 1998, the A6 was detrunked and it was decided not to make the A555 a trunk road, in spite of the levels and type of traffic on each road. The anticipated road network in the study area has not been completed.

With your permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Mr. Stunell) will discuss the impact of road traffic in his constituency. I shall confine my remarks to Cheadle and Macclesfield. The hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) is unable to be here today, and has asked me to make several comments on his behalf. There has been cross-party campaigning in the House by politicians from the area and a recognition that all are affected and need to work together.

For well over half a century, the Manchester airport eastern link route has had a route protected in anticipation of its development. As the suburbs that make up my constituency were built, space for the road, which would link Poynton and Hazel Grove in the east, and the developing Manchester airport and the M56 in the west, was kept clear.

In the late 1980s and 1990s it became obvious that road traffic was building up throughout the area. Public transport failed to keep abreast of developments and to meet the needs of local people. Bus services were particularly poor, and cycling became ever more difficult as road traffic increased.

In 1991 a public inquiry was held in Bramhall in my constituency on the proposal to build a bypass for the A34 and, linked with it, the central section of the Manchester airport eastern link route. That central section quickly became known as the road to nowhere because it failed to link the airport with anything.

The central section was built in spite of public protest that it would funnel traffic on to the A555 through completely unsuitable and often substandard A roads in district shopping centres and residential roads. The net effect of the incomplete eastern link was to create traffic congestion through Poynton, Woodford, Bramhall and Heald Green. All the local shopping centres were damaged, not just by the new superstores that sprang up around the new A34 but by pollution, noise and the dangers of shopping where there is standing and slow-moving car traffic—often for seven days a week.

There is still no easy route from the motorway and airport to the south-east and Macclesfield areas and beyond into Derbyshire. Car and freight traffic pass through Finney lane in Heald Green, through Woodford road in Bramhall and Woodford and through the centre of Poynton. That has implications for businesses in the area, including BAE Systems and AstraZeneca, to name but two. Poynton, Bramhall and Heald Green are shopping centres cut in half by heavy traffic, and the superstores draw in traffic through all those areas via the central section of the eastern link route.

I have asked for this debate because the findings of the multi-modal study recognise the transport difficulties of the whole area, and make recommendations that local MPs can welcome almost 100 per cent. One in three people in our area say that traffic congestion is their biggest single problem. We have long recognised that the road network needed to be completed to take through-traffic away from shopping centres. We have also recognised that, with the dramatic predicted increases in car and freight traffic, it is necessary to make bus and rail services more attractive, frequent and reliable; to encourage walking and cycling; and to make extensions to the metrolink light rail network where possible. My hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove will no doubt expand on that.

I cannot pretend that I was delighted when the Government announced the multi-modal study in 1998. "What's a multi-modal study?" was the question on everyone's lips. The Minister will accept that my constituents have been waiting for 10 years for even a sniff of the completion of the road network, which is treated as the next item on the agenda at the time of the public inquiry. Some people say, "I'll be dead before it happens," such is their despondency at the time that successive Governments have taken to grapple with the issue and their lack of faith in Government politicians. When they see successive Governments approving bypasses in other parts of the country with lesser problems than ours, their misgivings are confirmed.

However, the time that the study has taken and the opportunities afforded by it have given anyone who did not want the road network to be completed time to say so. The consultation, led by Steer Davies Gleave and managed by the Government office for the north-west, received more than 15,000 responses from the public. There has been astonishing support from residents, businesses and travellers for the completion of the roads and, indeed, the remainder of the proposals in the package. Those proposals will enhance the environment in district shopping centres, return residential areas to pedestrians and reduce greenhouse gases, if carried out in full.

My hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove and I believe that dual carriageways with slower road speeds are appropriate for those roads. The fast speeds produced on the motorway-standard central section of the A555—the eastern link—have led to noise problems for surrounding residential areas. I am pleased that the study consultants have recommended that there should be a presumption of no development around the new roads to ensure they do not become clogged up with development traffic.

I urge the Minister not to delay his response any longer. In a recent letter to me, Stockport chambers of commerce expressed full support for the study's recommendations' but said: How can the region as a whole consider itself to be anywhere approaching levels of national and international competitiveness if we cannot even resolve matters such as the internal infrastructure within the south east Manchester area in a reasonable period of time? One only has to look at the infrastructure developments which the French have put through in north east France with their motorways and rail networks to realize that actually other people are doing things while we sit on our hands". Stockport chambers of commerce believe that what has been flagged up as a 20-year programme should in fact be only a five-year programme, echoing the comments of the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, who said: We need a better, simpler, faster, more accessible system that serves both business and the community. The Secretary of State said that in his foreword to a Green Paper on planning, but it applies to transport too.

The north-west regional assembly has sent a favourable recommendation to the Minister and bids have already been made in the local transport planning process for parts of the programme. Further delay will be interpreted in our area as an indication that the study has simply been a delaying mechanism. As I said, I was unhappy when the study was announced because I thought so too. There have been some positive outcomes, in particular the proposals to do more than simply complete the road network. As has been pointed out by the consultants, the roads and the other measures are all required; to build one or two parts of the three road schemes would simply extend the folly of the incomplete Manchester airport eastern link route.

I urge that further consideration be given to two issues. The hon. Member for Macclesfield has asked me to relay his concerns, which he shares with business, about the intention simply to upgrade the A523 south of Poynton in his constituency, where it links with the dual carriageway of the Silk road to Macclesfield. He and companies such as AstraZeneca at Hurdsfield want this section to be of the same standard as the Silk road and the Poynton bypass that it will join—that is, a dual carriageway.

The Minister may be aware of the recent redundancies announced at BAE Systems in Woodford. The use of dual instead of single carriageway on the south side of the Poynton bypass might well make it easier for planning permission to be awarded for a new access road from the site to the A523, thus facilitating possible new contracts from the MOD.

I have been asked by the Stockport cycling group to request that, when plans are proposed for the new A6 bypass, the A555 Manchester airport link road west and the A555-A523 Poynton bypass, they include adequate provision for cyclists at the design stage.

I should like to finish by paying tribute to the consultants at Steer Davies Gleave, not only because they have made proposals with which the vast majority of my constituents can agree, but because of the thoroughness of their approach and for withstanding rigorous scrutiny of their consultation process with good humour, even if not always with quite the transparency that I requested, at all times.

I hope that the Minister will make an early announcement—today would be appropriate—to bring some cheer to the industry and people of the south-east Manchester area and to provide the funding for work that is long overdue

2.41 pm
Mr. Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove)

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle (Mrs. Calton) for agreeing to share some of her precious time. I am very much in agreement with her and the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) in strongly supporting an integrated transport solution for our area. I should also like to thank the Minister for coming to the Dispatch Box to engage in discussion on this matter for the second time in six months. Our last such meeting occurred on 10 July last year in Westminster Hall on the eve of the study's publication. In that debate, I said: The argument is not only about another bypass. We are also asking the Government to put their heart and their money into a comprehensive attack on pollution and congestion across a wide swathe of Greater Manchester."—[Official Report, Westminster Hall, 10 July 2001; Vol. 371, c. 240WH.] The hon. Gentleman will not be surprised to learn that a study has now been published that does exactly that, and I am very much hoping that he will respond positively.

The multi-modal study has done a valuable job and has reached some excellent and comprehensive conclusions. In particular, it has proposed an integrated solution that includes extending the Metrolink tram from the centre of Manchester and improving heavy-rail, bus and cycling connections. The latter were, of course, mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle. The study also said very clearly and directly that, unless the road network was completed, all that development would be in vain.

We now have a set of recommendations that everybody seems to favour. The study clearly proposes an integrated response. Local people are in favour; indeed, thousands of postcards have been returned from residents to the consultants—the consultation was not political, but was carried out by the consultants themselves—saying that they are in favour. The regional development agency is offering its support, as well as the chamber of commerce. The Greater Manchester passenger transport authority is also on side. At our last meeting, the Minister gave me some hope by saying, with reference to my speech, that the initial work of the report had confirmed many of the points raised by the hon. Gentleman about the adverse impact of congestion on parts of the study area, including Hazel Grove and A6 corridor, and the lack of attractive, sustainable alternatives to the car."—[Official Report, Westminster Hall, 10 July 2001; Vol. 371, c. 245WH.] This month, we have seen two developments that reinforce the message very strongly as regards the A6. One of them is the study, which made the very clear claim that the A6 in Hazel Grove was the most dangerous road in Greater Manchester. Its record of fatal, injury and non-injury accidents is by far the worst of any road in Greater Manchester. The study is extra ammunition both for the consultants and for me in arguing the case for building the bypass link.

Roadworks on the A6 have completely destabilised local traffic flows and led to massive congestion and waste of time for my constituents. It is ironic that the work was intended to complete the connections to a supermarket and to build the first 200 yards of the Stepping Hill link to the Hazel Grove bypass. It has been done, however at the expense not only of developers but of everybody who uses the A6.

The Minister's last words in the debate in July were: perhaps the heart's desires of his constituents will one day be achieved."—[Official Report, Westminster Hall, 10 July 2001; Vol. 371, c. 246WH.] I wanted to remind him of that, because today would be a good day to give effect to those words. Will the hon. Gentleman follow up his positive and helpful comments last July with a commitment to support the study and invest in the 10-year integrated transport plan? Will he give a high priority to the Hazel Grove bypass and the Stepping Hill link?

2.45 pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (Mr. David Jamieson)

I congratulate the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mrs. Calton) on securing an important debate, which follows the debate that the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Mr. Stunell) obtained in July. I assure him that the words that he and I uttered then are ringing clearly in my ears.

Although the hon. Lady said that she did not understand what a multi-modal study was at the beginning of the process, both hon. Members have made positive contributions to the discussions. I cannot speak for the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton)—we appear to have a Liberal Democrat-Conservative alliance today—but he is usually not slow to speak for himself and his constituents. I am sorry that he is not present.

The hon. Member for Hazel Grove mentioned hearts and money. I assure him that our hearts were in the schemes that we discussed for improvements in the road structure. I also assure him that the money is there. Both hon. Members who spoke had perhaps too short a time to mention that, so I thought I should. If we consider the amount of money that the Government are providing for the local transport plans, there have been substantial increases in both hon. Members' constituencies. For example, in Greater Manchester in 2000–01, the local transport plan's block allocation was £31.9 million. That increased in this financial year to £63.3 million. The figure has more than doubled, and it will increase to £65.4 million next year.

In Cheshire, the 2000–01 figure was £11.8 million, which rose in this financial year to £18.8 million. Next year, the figure will be £20.7 million. I appreciate that there was probably too little time for hon. Members to welcome those huge increases in money for local transport plans.

Mr. Stunell

rose—

Mr. Jamieson

I see that the hon. Gentleman is rising to do precisely that.

Mr. Stunell

Of course that investment is welcome, but I am sure that the Minister would acknowledge that the plans funded by it specifically excluded the multi-modal study's recommendations.

Mr. Jamieson

I raised the matter to show that not only our hearts but money lay behind our ambitions. Once the plan has been through the Department, it will be up to local authorities to identify in their plans the moneys that they want. The way in which we have dealt with the transport plans should give the hon. Gentleman and his constituents every reason for optimism.

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for the fact that I have been able to hear at first hand the impact of the transport problems in both hon. Members' constituencies and in the wider south-east Manchester area. As they both know, my ministerial colleagues are currently considering the recommendations of the south-east Manchester multi-modal study report. The debate is therefore timely and an important input into those considerations. Although the hon. Lady wanted a response today, I assure her that she will not have to wait much longer for decisions on those important matters for her constituency.

We are committed to looking at transport problems in the round. We do not automatically assume that a road problem means a road-based solution. The reality is that seeking to provide a bypass for every place that has a traffic problem would be neither practical nor cost-effective. The result would be a very long wish list and frustrated expectations. Rather, it is necessary to study individual problems and tailor solutions accordingly.

Mrs. Calton

rose—

Mr. Jamieson

I will give way to the hon. Lady, although it will probably inhibit my giving some of the answers that she was looking for.

Mrs. Calton

Does the Minister acknowledge that the Department has already agreed to the Shevington bypass in an area with a smaller volume of road traffic but exactly the same environmental problems as we are talking about here? Those proposals have already been passed, but our problems are at least as great as those at Shevington.

Mr. Jamieson

The hon. Lady has somewhat pre-empted some of the things that I was going to say about the schemes in her area.

In relation to the A6(M) Stockport north-south bypass, the A555-A523 Poynton bypass, and the A555 Manchester airport link road west, there have been longstanding proposals in both the hon. Members' constituencies, and in the wider south-east Manchester area, for a series of bypasses to relieve communities such as Poynton and Hazel Grove on the A523 and the A6. Some development work had been undertaken on these schemes while they were in the trunk road programme. At the time of our 1997–98 roads review, the schemes had not been developed sufficiently for us to consider them as candidates for the targeted programme of trunk road improvements. The schemes were also on a part of the trunk road network which we concluded was not of sufficient strategic national importance to justify its inclusion in the core trunk road network.

Non-core trunk roads, which include the A6 and A523 in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, mainly serve local and regional traffic. We concluded that those routes would be more appropriately managed by local highway authorities, to enable decisions about them to be taken locally and better to integrate them with local transport and land-use issues. In answer to the hon. Lady's question about the multi-modal studies, they are about giving local people and local authorities—those in the locality who know the problems best—the opportunity to identify the priorities in their own area. I hope that, in the light of her considerable involvement in this study, she has been able to take home that message to her constituents.

As a consequence of our decision, the A6 Stockport north-south bypass, the A555-A523 Poynton bypass and the A555 Manchester airport link west were withdrawn from the national trunk road programme and will pass to the local authorities to consider taking them forward as local road schemes within their local transport plans.

Rather than put forward immediate bids for these schemes, it was decided to look at the problems that they were designed to address in the south-east Manchester multi-modal study. That is one of a number of multi-modal studies examining particularly complex problems. These problems can be addressed only by looking at all forms of transport, and seeking balanced solutions that contribute to our integrated transport policy. In recognition of the importance of the problems in south-east Manchester, this was one of the first multi-modal studies to be commissioned.

As the hon. Lady has noted, the study reported in September and made its recommendations to the north-west regional assembly. After consideration, the assembly made its recommendations to Ministers in November last year. If time allows, I will cover some of the recommendations later, but it may be helpful to explain the process that the study has gone through to reach this stage.

A consortium led by Steer Davies Gleave was appointed following the competitive tender, in December 1999. We funded the study, and the Government office of the north-west took the lead in managing it, in partnership with key interested parties in the study area. As in all the multi-modal studies, a steering group was established to take responsibility for its management and direction. Membership was wide and incorporated all the district and county councils directly involved in the study's coverage, the Strategic Rail Authority, the Highways Agency and the regional development agency, together with other business interests including Manchester airport, and a representative of local environmental and community groups.

The recommended strategy is detailed in the final study report and it includes proposals for four local road schemes—the Alderley Edge bypass, the Stockport north-south bypass, the Poynton bypass and the Manchester airport link road west—to alleviate the impact of traffic on local communities; extensions to the metrolink from Hough End to Stockport, Stockport to Rose Hill and Stockport to Manchester airport; an improvement to the M60/M67/A57 Denton interchange; improved rail infrastructure and services in respect of quality and frequency; and possible new orbital services linking Stalybridge and Stockport and, in the longer term, western and eastern links to Manchester airport.

Also included are improved bus services, including more quality corridors and services of enhanced frequency and quality; better management and maintenance of road capacity to deliver benefits to motorists, public transport users, cyclists and pedestrians; better freight management, including establishing freight quality partnerships; and, finally, an intense programme of campaigns to promote transport change and investment to support urban regeneration.

Both hon. Members must agree that that is a full package of measures to assist transport in their area, so I hope that they take heart from my point about local transport plans: not only have we set up those multi-modal studies, but we have shown that we are willing to fund local transport plans. I can assure them that careful consideration will be given when the various authorities put forward their plans to deliver that important programme.

The hon. Member for Cheadle will note that the recommended strategy covers a full range of transport improvements rather than simply the three bypasses previously in the trunk road programme. The study shows that those schemes would not have solved the problems in the study area in isolation and the strategy developed justifies the decision to undertake the study. The problems will be addressed by a multi-modal solution.

I got the feeling that the hon. Lady was a little churlish in welcoming the multi-modal study, but I hope that she has gone through a conversion on the road to Damascus, or perhaps to Poynton, and that she now welcomes it as highly valuable to her area.

The recommended strategy was detailed in a newsletter extensively distributed by the Post Office throughout the study area—I am sure that it appeared in Focus in the hon. Lady's constituency—so that local residents and businesses could be consulted on the study's recommendations. If she has a copy of Focus that welcomes the Government's proposals and extra money, I would be delighted to see it. If necessary, I shall report from the Dispatch Box.

Mr. Stunell

They have all been delivered.

Mr. Jamieson

If the hon. Gentleman can deliver one to me, I shall happily note from the Dispatch Box how much his party welcomes Government involvement in transport in his area.

The hon. Member for Cheadle is aware that consultation has played an important part in the study process. From an early stage, emphasis has been placed on giving people, their elected representatives and interested organisations opportunities to participate in problem identification, strategy formulation and the derivation of solutions.

There have been three newsletters and a number of consultation meetings and briefing sessions, some with local MPs. I know that both hon. Members have attended. They also met the Government office of the north-west and its consultants on a number occasions. Furthermore, the hon. Lady's predecessor, Stephen Day, was not slow to raise in the Chamber matters of interest to his constituents, as she has today. All those views have been considered in the process.

On the way forward, Ministers are considering the final report and the regional assembly's recommendations. The report covers a wide range of issues that are being considered fully before an announcement is made. Delivery of the study outcomes will be predominantly for local authorities and operators, with Government funding and support, through the local transport plan process. That includes construction of the road schemes, which, if agreed to, will be progressed by the local authorities through the statutory and construction phases.

The hon. Lady is aware that supplementary local transport plan bids have been made for Greater Manchester and Cheshire for 2002–03 and for the Alderley Edge bypass. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to put on record the Government's views on this important matter and I thank the hon. Lady for raising—

The motion having been made after half-past Two o'clock, and the debate having continued for half an hour, MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.

Adjourned at Three o'clock.