SPARR -
Spalding Pinchbeck
Against Relief Road
Who We Are
We are a non-party-political group of concerned residents from Spalding and Pinchbeck who have united as one voice against the Spalding Western Relief Road (SWRR). We believe that the relief road is being driven by greedy developers, not out of consideration for Spalding and Pinchbeck residents or the environment: the current location of the road maximises available land to build houses on and does nothing to tackle the root problem of in-town congestion, ie. increased freight traffic on our railway line.
Our objectives are:
to stop the current planning application for the initial stage of SWRR and demand further public consultations on this project.
to persuade Lincolnshire County Council and South Holland District Council to address the root problem of traffic congestion in Spalding (increased freight traffic on the railway line) and devise alternative traffic flows for lorries currently using the town centre as a shortcut.
to represent the concerns of the public and residents regarding the relief road.
to encourage transparency between Lincolnshire County Council, South Holland District Council and residents through information dissemination, access to pertinent documentation and regular contact with county officials.
to promote conscientious progress, by taking into consideration the environment, existing homes and the added pressure on infrastructure (schools, hospitals, etc.)
#WeAreSPARR
Why Oppose the Road in its Current Form?
This is NOT a Relief Road! With no funding for the middle for the foreseeable future the two incomplete sections will only add to traffic congestion and pollution in Spalding, especially the already very busy Spalding and Pinchbeck roads.
The proposed road will run right alongside Vernatt's Drain and South Drove. It will have a devastating effect on local wildlife habitats and protected species. There is no consideration towards preserving this green space to foster ecological growth and whose peace and quiet is enjoyed by so many.
The route is dictated by developers, who want to maximise land available to build houses upon, rather than showing any consideration towards the residential amenity of existing residents.
Despite recent developments to consider alternative routes for the proposed middle section (that currently has no funding), there is still a threat of houses being demolished to build even more houses, preposterous in an area with so much open land.
The proposed flyover bridge will be an 11.5m concrete monolith, an eyesore for miles around. Its design is the cheapest available and will completely obscure the view for many residents living along Vernatt's Drain, significantly changing current visual amenity. Beautification of this structure is limited by the fact that no trees can be planted near the gas pipeline running underneath.
Unreasonable and unrealistic timeframes for a four mile stretch of road, with no guarantee it will ever be completed. Per the Local Plan itself: "The SWRR ... is viewed as a series of separate ‘projects’ over a number of years, with the completion of the road currently expected to stretch beyond the end of the Local Plan period in 2036." Compare this to the M25, a road that is 30 times longer and took 11 years to build.
Get Involved
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
Sign the e-petition supporting our Bourne Rd residents: SAVE OUR FAMILY HOMES FROM THE BULLDOZERS
Join Us and spread the word of SPARR far and wide on social media using #WeAreSPARR and sharing our pages
Help us increase SPARR's visibility by displaying this poster in your window and / or displaying a home-made banner in your front garden.
Write to your local politicians. You can also write to the Council Leader and the Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT
Attend our meetings and protests, or offer to volunteer. Bring your whole family: there's power in numbers.
Email us your pics enjoying the Vernatt's Drain and its surroundings... A picture is worth a thousand words.
Read up on news articles, documents available on LCC's website and documents presented with planning applications: knowledge is power.
"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does"