Richard G, Author at Flockton Bypass

6 February 201820 March 2018

Walk Through Village with Kirklees Chief Executive and Families

A walk through Flockton village has been organised, with Chief Executive of Kirklees Council, Jacqui Gedman and local families, for Thursday 1 March 2018.

Due to the possibility of further severe weather this week, the planned morning visit by Jacqui Gedman has had to be postponed.

Jacqui was going to walk to school with parents and children to get a view of the road safety concerns held by many in the village.

We are hoping to rearrange this visit for later in the month and will keep you informed.

Mr Cappleman (Head at Flockton C of E (C) First School) will meet Jacqui Gedman at the school from 8:30 am with Cllr John Taylor. They will then walk up into the village to meet families coming down the other way. It is hoped too, that on return to the safety of the school, some parents and children will have the opportunity to speak to Jacqui, about the problems they face with traffic.

5 February 20185 February 2018

A Lot of Mud!

In addition to the usual traffic issues, the village of Flockton is getting very muddy from access and egress of the building site in the centre of the village – and these photographs were taken on a dry day!

And it's also affecting the residents of Emley…

The knock-on effect of this, in addition to making the road more hazardous, is that children are also slipping on the pavements (sometimes falling) and generally, getting muddy on their way to and from school.

2 February 201817 February 2018

Positive meeting with Secretary of State for Transport

On Friday 2 February 2018, a few of the Flockton Bypass Steering Group met with Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport.

Left to right: Back: Councillors: Bill Armer, Richard Smith, John Taylor
Front: Elena Delaney, Kath Middleton, Chris Grayling, Jimmy Paxton

"A really positive meeting, thank you to the three councillors who put our case forward in such an eloquent and informed manner. I know everything takes time but I felt like Chris Grayling really listened to our plight." – Elena Delaney (Flockton Resident)

Kirkburton Conservative Clr Richard Smith said:

“It wasn't a meeting where he could promise us anything, but it was an opportunity to discuss what’s important to the residents in Flockton.

“We showed him maps and talked about the need and he emphasised how much Kirklees and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (which runs a £1bn-plus transport programme) can do.

“For us this isn’t a political issue, it’s a safety issue for our residents and it’s an issue Kirklees should deal with.

“We want a debate in Kirklees and then we want to get the Combined Authority to consider it.”

The visit also sparked a bit of controversy in the House of Commons

1 February 20181 February 2018

1970s Commons Transcripts Debate Flockton Bypass

As many villages in Flockton know, requests for a bypass have been made previously. David Rawling has rediscovered these links to Commons Transcripts, from two of those occasions.

TRANSPORT (FLOCKTON BY-PASS)
HC Deb 17 February 1970 vol 796 cc370-8

TRANSPORT (FLOCKTON BYPASS)
HC Deb 25 April 1972 vol 835 cc1505-12

"My file on the Flockton bypass is larger than any other file I have accumulated in the 27 years or so that I have been a Member." – Mr. J. P. W. Mallalieu (Huddersfield, East)

The A637 is on the Indicative Major Road Network as part of the Major Road Network. Consultation, including which schemes will be eligible for funding, ENDS IN 47 DAYS at 11:45 am on 19 March 2018. Not long then if this is the route being taken (for funding that is).

To confirm David's research, check out Major Road Network proposals and consultations on www.gov.uk. Both under News Story and Dpt for Transport. Published 23rd December 2017, from the Dpt for Transport and the Rt. Hon. Chris Grayling MP.

30 January 20182 February 2018

Villagers in Flockton urged to back petition for new bypass

Villagers are stepping up a bid to get a bypass for Flockton.

They say enough is enough after a spate of near misses, HGVs flouting the rules by using the main road through Flockton as a short cut, plus an increase in housing will lead to more vehicles on the road.

Residents are now collecting signatures and hope to top 3,500 to force a debate at Kirklees Council. (Read More)

29 January 2018

Petitions Really Can Help

Read an article posted in the Huddersfield Examiner:

Vital link roads in Colne Valley set to be resurfaced.

A couple of the paragraphs from the article:

"In 2016 a petition set up by residents attracted more than 1,200 signatures calling for Kirklees Council to resurface Linfit Lane…

"A cross-party group was set up to tackle the issue following meetings between residents and local councillors…"

And also, the support available from local Counsillors:

"Welcoming the announcement that work was set to start, Clr Turner said: “I’ve been contacted by a number of residents about the state of the roads and the need for urgent action. The issue has been ongoing for a long time so I’m delighted that the works have been confirmed and will go ahead soon."

29 January 2018

No HGVs allowed in from Grange Moor

"Planning have just rung me regarding the HGV's. NO HGV's ARE ALLOWED THROUGH FLOCKTON FROM GRANGE MOOR EVEN FOR ACCESS!!!!!!! WOW!" – Kathryn Middleton

24 January 201824 January 2018

Proposals for the creation of a Major Road Network – Paula Sherriff

From Paula Sherriff’s page, her notice of concern to the Department of Transport. (See the letter)

Today, I wrote to the Roads Minister Jesse Norman to ask him to meet with me to discuss serious concerns about the A637 which runs through Flockton.

I met with residents last week and they told me of the problems on the road through the village, including HGVs and dangerous driving.

Residents have long asked for a by-pass, but the government now has the opportunity to fix the problems with the road through Flockton with their planned Major Road Network (MRN) scheme. The scheme is currently out to public consultation and ‘A’ Roads may be able to take advantage of up to £100 million of funding.

I strongly believe that the A637 which runs through Flockton could benefit from such investment. This would improve life in the village, cut congestion and greatly improve infrastructure in one of the rural areas of the constituency.

I will feed into the Department for Transport's online consultation and I strongly recommend that residents do the same.