Highways Agency

Background

The A66 in Cumbria providing easy access to Bassenthwaite lake.

The Highways Agency makes an important contribution to the protection and enhancement of the environment through the proper management of the Trunk Road Network.

We have increasingly needed to respond to scientific and technical advances, along with growing public awareness, of the interactions between roads, traffic and the environment.

Our record in this respect has been a success because we have made a genuine attempt to understand the impact of roads on our environment and to find the most appropriate response.

However, with increased understanding comes a greater appreciation that there is still more that we can do.

In 1996 we published our first environmental plan called 'Living with Roads'. Now, we have published 'Towards a Balance with Nature' which provides the broad outline for the detailed action programmes.

The New Approach to Appraisal

In 'A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England', the Government set out details of a 'New Approach to Appraisal' (NATA). This aims to assess trunk road investment proposals against the Government's five criteria of accessibility, safety, economy, environment and integration.

As our detailed action programmes in support of this plan are developed, they will be tested as appropriate against the principles of the NATA.

The restored site of the old Winchester Bypass, Twyford Down.

The Role of the Environmental Committee

As we developed this plan we consulted the members of our Environmental Committee as well as carrying out wide-ranging consultation within Government.

The role of the Committee is to help us view our efforts from the point of view of official and non-governmental environmental organisations. The first meeting of the Committee was held in January 1999.

The 13 groups represented are:

• the Environment Agency;
• English Nature;
• English Heritage;
• Countryside Agency;
• National Air Quality Forum;
• Civic Trust;
• National Trust;
• Royal Town Planning Institute;
• RSPB;
• Association of National Park Authorities;
• Transport 2000 Trust;
• Friends Of The Earth and the Council For The Protection Of Rural England.

Regional Environmental Committees will soon be set up across the Agency regions to provide a formal channel of communication on a regional basis.