Trafford council has approved the controversial Carrington relief road by a narrow vote of seven to six, despite hundreds of objections from residents and campaigners. The decision came during a fractious planning committee meeting on Thursday night (November 5), with objectors in the public gallery shouting 'it's a disgrace' following the outcome.
The relief road has long been seen as the solution to traffic problems in the Partington and Carrington areas, with diverting traffic away from the congested A6144 viewed as one of the project's major goals. However, the plans prompted 680 letters of objection and a petition signed by over 1,000 people.
Route and Scheme Details
The 2.7-mile road will link the A6144 Manchester Road to the west with the A6144 Carrington Spur in the east, the committee in Trafford Town Hall was told. Part of the route would follow the currently private A1 road through the industrial area between Carrington and Partington, while the rest would cut through what has been judged to be 'best and most versatile' farmland.
Planning officers described the relief road as an 'integral part' of the New Carrington Plan, a major scheme estimated to bring around 5,000 new homes and 350,000sqm of new employment space to the area. The planning committee was warned that without the relief road, the New Carrington Plan cannot go ahead, and benefits including increased job opportunities, thousands of homes and improvements to road network infrastructure would all be lost.
Opposition from Campaigners
Lorraine Eagling, from the Friends of Carrington Moss group, said: "Not a single community group supports this scheme." She argued for the council to move forward with the western part of the road but reconsider the eastern section, which connects the A1 to the Carrington Spur across fields. The group wanted the road to turn northwards to re-join the existing road network, which they say should be upgraded to cope with additional traffic.
Local ward councillor Charlotte Waterworth, speaking against the scheme, pointed out that it could see the number of trips increase from an average of 7,000 to 30,000. She added: "More traffic, more congestion and more pressure on the road. If the relief road ultimately results in residents expecting more traffic, it's fair to ask if they are being relieved."
Waterworth also said biodiversity, climate resilience, habitats and water retention that Carrington Moss provides are still important, and suggested the council is giving into outside pressure to develop on the land.
Council Leaders Defend Decision
Deputy council leader Liz Patel, speaking on behalf of developer Trafford council, told the committee that delivering the road 'has been a decade long commitment' to Carrington. She added that the route would be key to delivering 5,000 homes and all the employment and economic benefits that will come with the overarching masterplan.
"This is a comprehensive and deliverable proposal. This process has considered all alternative routes. This has been thoroughly considered to be the optimal route. The A6144 is the only route in and out of that area and that has remained unchanged since the 19th century. It has held Partington and Carrington back," she said.
Coun Meena Minnis called the overall scheme 'a disaster', saying the potential damage to habitats and endangered species on the relief road made her 'ashamed to be a human'. Coun David Acton repeated the benefits the scheme would bring in traffic reduction and unlocking the wider masterplan, suggesting 'we should just get on with it now'.
Coun Shirley Procter said she was originally against the scheme due to the environmental damage it would cause to habitats and peatland, but feels her concerns have now been addressed. She added: "This morning I drove along the A6144 and counted all the lorries. I never noticed the sheer amount of traffic, including lorries."
The planning committee chair, Coun Ben Hartley, highlighted that refusing the application would lead to the wider scheme not going forward, which could result in other housing developments being proposed on other sections of land around the Trafford borough. "This is clearly the better option," he added.
The committee narrowly voted to approve the relief road by a vote of seven to six, with objectors in the public gallery shouting 'it's a disgrace' following the decision.
