§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport which methods of assessing the extent of mitigation of the M40's environmental impact(a) have and (b) have not, been applied to the MI1 link road; and for those in (a) what relative values have been applied.
§ Mr. ChopeThe environmental impact of the M40 extension, which runs for 59 miles through largely agricultural land, cannot be directly compared with an urban scheme such as the A 12 Hackney Wick to M I 1 link road. The Department's methodology for environmental appraisal is applied to all road proposals, but the measures required to mitigate the adverse effects are dependent on the individual nature of each project. In the case of the M 11 link road, a significant amount of the cost of the scheme is for measures to mitigate the adverse effects of the road including the construction of three sections of tunnel.