East Facing Sliproads - J5-Slips.Org
Why Sevenoaks needs East Facing Slips
News from Highways England. The summary of RIS2 Consultation responses reveals J5 Slips was second in the list of Road Improvement requests. [more RIS2 responses] J5 Slips gor dropped from RIS2, maybe the next round.
M26 - LORRY PARK FOR OPERATION STACK?
A25 WROTHAM HEATH AQ RESULTS. The results in µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre) of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) were as below. legal limit is set at 40 µg/m3.
| TN15 7SW outside Millwood Cottage, A25 | 52.71 |
| TN15 7SX (Wild Acre &Valley Cottage) Rural | 12.55 |
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| Cllr Tim Shaw, TMBC and BGPC "We have campaigned for many years to get rid of the 18,000 vehicles per day of through traffic because of pollution and Highway Safety. We have lobbied through KALC, and now an Economic Benefits Study by Systra funded by KCC, TMBC and Local Parishes. The Systra Study was undoubtedly weak, but it did prove unequivocally that there is Cost Benefit to East Facing Slips now, and that will only increase as we see the growth from Local Plans, the new Thames Crossing, and other major development in North West Kent. We are extremely grateful to Nic Heslop for his efforts in ensuring KCC include East Facing Slips as worthy of Growth and Infrastructure Funding (GIF) in the new Local Transport Plan". Tim has just been appointed to the KALC Executive by the T&M Branch to take the campaign onwards and upwards Mission Statement Campaign History My submission to the Economic Study
| Cllr Tim Shaw PRESS CLIPPINGS |
| New Leader TMBC Matt Boughton pledges ongoing support for J5 Slips | |
| Former TMBC Leader Nic Heslop has worked closely with KALC to obtain funding for the Economic Benefits Study, and with SELEP to get the scheme included in the Government's Route Review. At a recent TMBC Planning & Transportation Board meeting, Nic presented TMBC's response to KCC's Local Transport Plan consultation, and that response included strong support for East Facing Slips at Junction 5 M25
| Cllr Nic Heslop Ex- Leader TMBC |
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| Tom Tugendhat MP - "In my first speech in Parliament I highlighted the misery of traffic in Borough Green and damage to business in the High Weald caused by the missing sliproads. The case for slip roads at Junction 5 is overwhelming. The 18 miles between the M26 Junction 2A and the M25 Junction 6 is the longest distance between motorway exits in the Country. But this isn't just about convenience. Villages near Borough Green are suffering unnecessary pollution while in the West, near Edenbridge, communities are harder to reach. That's why I am supporting the Kent Association of Local Councils. They're studying the benefits of building the Junction 5 slip road and will report shortly. Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council has taken a lead as usual, in making West Kent better connected". Extract Kent Messenger © 2015 [Read full article} |
Tom Tugendhat MP |
| AIR QUALITY is the single largest danger facing our communities. It should be more than just a tick box on planning applications. Unrestricted development, cheap credit, a global glut of cars, and falling fuel prices means Traffic Pollution and construction dust are an issue everywhere. [more]
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| Dr Yasmin Vawda is a locally based expert in Air Pollution. "East Facing Slips at Junction 5 would decrease traffic flow and the number of HGVs on the A25, and speed up vehicles — by how much can only be determined by a traffic impact study. If the Slips were put in I would expect all the AQMAs along the A25 to disappear" [read more]
| Dr Yasmin Vawda |
| New Leader KCC Roger Gough has yet to make a statement | |
| Paul Carter, Ex-Leader of Kent County Council, has been a strong supporter of East Facing Slips, following on from his personal commitment to fund a new Planning Application for the A25 Borough Green and Platt Bypass. It became apparent that the Bypass could only be funded by an unacceptably high level of new housing in Metropolitan Geen Belt and Kent Downs AONB, so Mr Carter got his most senior Highways Officers to talk to KALC about taking the fledgling J5 Slips campaign and turning it into a real proposal for the next round of the Government's Route Strategy. "Growth Without Gridlock" Draft Report Draft Local Transport Plan
| Paul Carter Leader KCC |
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| Kent Association of Local Councils What Tim started was a grass roots Parish Campaign. enlisting most Parishes from West Malling to Westerham. KALC then took on the mantle and used their influence and contacts to get it on the agenda at the highest levels at Tonbridge & Malling, Kent County Council, the National Assn of Local Councils, and DCLG, DfT and HE. |  |
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BOROUGH GREEN PARISH COUNCIL - submission via KALC to Economic Benefits Consultation |  |
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So whilst local campaigners have always concentrated on the environmental benefits to villages from Malling to Westerham, south along the A21, and north as far as Swanley, the main campaign will now shift its focus from environmental issues to economic growth, an argument that aligns us with the Government’s own plans for recovery.
The National and International importance of full connectivity to the National Motorway Network and the European Gateway cannot be overstated : large swathes of West Kent, Surrey and Sussex are suffering a major trading disadvantage, and inward investment and trade are likewise hampered.
But the environmental case does have significance: the Air Quality issues along the whole A25 corridor will impact severely on the upcoming implementation of the new Local Plans in Tonbridge & Malling, and Sevenoaks. If these Borough Council plans for growth are limited, or worse, rejected by the Planning Inspectorate, that will decimate the possibility for economic recovery and future prosperity throughout the area. |
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| Kent Association of Local Councils AGM : Motion adopted to request National Committee to adopt J5 Slips as National Policy, and to enter into discussions with Government |
Borough Green to be declared an AQMA : T&MBC
MICHAEL FALLON MP under pressure to instigate a traffic survey. Malling Chronicle
THE MISSING LINK
