Residents of an Eden village fear an ancient oak tree dating from 1600 will be lost as part the planned A66 dual carriageway upgrade.
Kirkby Thore parish councillors have submitted a nine-page response to National Highways, formerly Highways England, pleading for additional measures to protect the village from excessive impact, as part of the consultation exercise which came to an end on Saturday.
The preferred route, as outlined by National Highways, loops around Kirkby Thore enclosing the village on three sides and cutting it off from the fellside.
As it slices through every fellside road and footpath connection, there are several proposed diversions, underpasses and overbridges which have been included in the plans.
A spokeswoman for Kirkby Thore Parish Council said a clear example of how this could cause a problem was Sleastonhow Lane — a small track meandering out of the village, which has an ancient pedigree and is part of the Lady Anne’s Way long distance footpath.
“Traceable on the earliest known maps of Kirkby Thore it also boasts the Sleastonhow Oak, an ancient tree dating from 1600, as part of its hedgerow.
“Under the proposal the lane and tree are to be dug up and replaced by a farm access road to an overbridge across the new A66 that is considered to be in a more efficient position than the old lane.
“This is just one example of why National Highways really need local input to their plans for the A66 and how a few adjustments to the construction could make a massive difference to the residents of Kirkby Thore.
“The parish council have offered to meet with National Highways and eagerly await a response,” the spokeswoman said.
In addition, Kirkby Thore Parish Council was “alarmed” to see that the “detailed” maps of the route in the consultation documents showed very little evidence of any works that would reduce the noise and visual impact on those most seriously affected.
“The council have asked for earth bunds, acoustic fencing and screening by use of trees for these areas,” the spokeswoman added.
In its response to the consultation, Penrith Town Council has said the section of the new eastbound carriageway from Junction 40 to Kemplay Roundabout needs to have an acoustic barrier constructed which would provide reduced noise impact for residents particularly those on Clifford Road and users of Wetheriggs Country Park.
It has also sought assurance that the proposed creation of a drainage pond and new wetland habitat which is to be created at the west side of Skirsgill Lane will not increase the risk of flooding.
In addition, to mitigate noise impact on residents from Junction 40 to Kemplay and on towards Frenchfield, the town council requires that the road surface is a “quiet” tarmac surface.
National Highways project director Lee Hillyard said: “Our current plans for dualling the A66 are not at the level of detail that would single out specific trees. We will be carrying out environmental surveys along the route to help inform the design of the new schemes.
“The surveys will help us to understand how our proposals could affect the environment on land within and around the project.
“We are meeting with residents of Kirkby Thore, and are in the process of arranging a meeting with the parish council where we will be listening to any comments regarding the project.”
