§ BARONESS STOCKSMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of the progress now being made in the construction of road links between South-East England and the West, they regard the further development of a Folkestone-Honiton trunk road through West Dorset as really necessary.
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, the length of the Folkestone-Honiton trunk road in West Dorset was not included in the 3,500-mile network of trunk routes which was announced in June, 1971. Traffic conditions along the route are, however, kept under review and particular improvements are prepared as the need arises.
§ BARONESS STOCKSMy Lords, arising out of that Answer, may I ask a supplementary question? I gather that the continuation of the proposed trunk road is not going forward. Why is it proposed that there should be a further major road development, which goes right through West Dorset, in order to bypass Bridport?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, I merely said that it was not part of the comprehensive trunk network. We have comprehensive plans for individual improvements where they are needed, and Bridport is one of those places. We know that there are some local objections, and if a statutory objection were to be made we should need to hold an inquiry.
§ BARONESS STOCKSMy Lords, is it not true that there are other roads that either bypass Bridport or do not bypass Bridport which are in fact sufficient for the kind of traffic that they have to carry?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, the A.35, which is the road to which the noble Baroness is referring, carries a certain amount of traffic, and it is considered by the experts that an improvement is needed.
§ BARONESS STOCKSMy Lords, who are the experts?
§ LORD PEDDIEMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that two experts who have a considerable knowledge of traffic conditions in that area have described this road to bypass Bridport as being a "sledgehammer to crack a nut"? Further, would the Minister confirm or deny that local experts have presented an alternative scheme which is acceptable to people in that area, and that the road engineers have stated that they are willing to seriously consider such scheme if the present scheme 7 is turned down?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, no official suggestion of alternative routes has been made to us at the moment. If one of the local authorities wishes to make a suggestion there can be an inquiry. With regard to the expert who referred to it as a "sledgehammer crushing a nut" (I think that was in a Sunday Times article), the estimated cost for that bypass was double what we estimated it might be.
THE EARL OF SELKIRKMy Lords, I do not know whether this comes within the original Question, but can the noble Lord say whether any progress is being made on the Southampton bypass?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, I think that that is another Question.
§ BARONESS STOCKSMy Lords, the noble Lord has not answered my question as to who are the experts. Are they other than the Dorset County Council?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, no; the Department of the Environment and the Department of Trade and Industry have their own experts.
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, I do not think that this is a point that has been considered by me personally, or by anyone in the Department.
§ LORD WYNNE-JONESMy Lords, can the noble Lord tell us who is the 702 nut that the sledgehammer is supposed to crack?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, if this is a proposal to spend money on a road which people do not want, could the money be transferred to the Scottish Office and used on the A.90?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, I think that the people who do not want it are local inhabitants, who are probably not the majority using that road.
§ LORD HUGHESBut they would not require a visa to use the road.