The village that won’t benefit from huge bypass going past

Work on a huge £228m bypass scheme started two months ago to tackle severe traffic problems, but the village right next to it won’t reap the rewards.

Hollingworth is the last stop before Derbyshire – and villagers there feel forgotten and cut off from the rest of Greater Manchester. Locals can see from their windows the work going on to build the new A57 Link Roads scheme, more commonly known as the Mottram bypass, but it won’t stop hundreds of HGVs trundling past their homes every day.

The clue is in the unofficial name of the project: Mottram Bypass – not Hollingworth Bypass.

Politicians and National Highways hailed the scheme as transformational for travel in the north by reducing congestion and improving journeys between Manchester and Sheffield. The A57 Link Roads project includes the creation of two new link roads.

The first is Mottram Moor Link Road – a new dual carriageway from the M67 junction 4 roundabout to a new junction on the A57 at Mottram Moor. The other is the A57 Link Road – a new single carriageway link from the A57 at Mottram Moor to a new junction on the A57 in Woolley Bridge.

The new junction at Mottram Moor is thought to be the only thing that could ease traffic on the A628 leading to Woodhead Pass, but that’s it. For the people of Hollingworth, it’s disappointing.

Sat at the bus stop after a spot of shopping in Ashton is John Roberts, who has lived in the Tameside village since the 1980s. He’s been waiting for the bypass to happen ever since, but now it’s arrived he’s been left feeling forgotten – an all too familiar feeling in this village.

John Roberts, sat on a bench in Hollingworth. Credit: LDRS

“When it first came about I signed a petition for the bypass because it sounded really good,” the 78-year-old told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “This first phase doesn’t help Hollingworth, Tintwistle or Hadfield.

“Last week the M62 closed so all the traffic was coming through Woodhead. It took 55 minutes to get from Tintwistle to the Gun Inn pub (just over one mile). That showcases the problem we have.

“All the work going on is a waste of time and money. If they’re going to do it they may as well include Hollingworth – it’s disappointing.

“If I had to score the bypass out of 10, it would be 0. I’m hoping something will happen for Hollingworth before I pop my clogs.”

The issue for many in Hollingsworth is that previous versions of the scheme – not the latest one that has been approved – have included bypassing the village. There is still hope amongst locals that they could be connected to the scheme at a later stage.

Tom Weatherall worries this could make things worse, particularly whilst construction is going on. He can’t see many ways in which the bypass could alter the traffic problem in his village.

The 42-year-old said: “It won’t help here because there are two bottle necks. It needs a second part for us.

“We’ve got lorries going through here to Woodhead which isn’t ideal. You can see how many are going past right now.

“It’s positive for Mottram but maybe not for us. We will see if it can ease things for us at all – it will be a case of the proof being in the pudding.

“The thing is, the bypass goes through Glossop but lorries can’t go over the Snake Pass anyway. How that crossroads will ease things for us I’m not sure.”

He went on to tell the LDRS that this work bringing in more construction vehicles and heavier traffic could mean Hollingworth becoming ‘even more cut off than it already is’.

With poor public transport connections already, it’s a tough reality to swallow.

That feeling of belonging to Greater Manchester isn’t present either. Tom said it only takes 45 minutes to get to Sheffield by car, whereas it can take well over an hour to get to Manchester.

Walking through the village from Hollingworth Conservative Club down to the Gun Inn, more than 10 HGVs drive by in both directions – not something you’d normally expect for a country village surrounded by greenery. If you walk 10 minutes in any direction from Hollingworth you would find yourself in woodlands, grassy patches or crossing a stream.

Walk a bit further and you may find yourself in Derbyshire or the Peak District. Despite the rural setting the days of this being a quaint farmers village are long gone.

Maureen Hobson and Nadine Mitcherson are chatting outside One Stop after picking up some food. They have both lived in Hollingworth for decades, and they say the traffic problem has changed their beloved area beyond recognition.

Maureen Hobson and Nadine Mitcherson in Hollingworth. Credit: LDRS

“I was absolutely devastated when we weren’t included,” Maureen explained. “But you just come to realise that we get forgotten about here, we’re out on a limb.

“The main issue though is the wagons. I think if we had a weight restriction to stop them coming over that would make a huge difference and you wouldn’t need to spend all the money.

“The village is unrecognisable now. It’s because of the traffic.

“Now Hollingworth is just a check point between Manchester and Sheffield. It’s very, very sad.”

The 82-year-old also has concerns about the level of pollution produced by the traffic and the impact it could have on the school children. Both Longdendale High School and Hollingworth Primary School sit off the A628.

Maureen and Nadine both agreed going out in the car at peak times and school pick up time is ‘pointless’ and ‘just silly’.

Nadine’s family has a large plot of land in the area, which was almost subject to a compulsory purchase order until a change of plan. She has always been against the bypass plans.

The 78-year-old added: “It’s a waste of time on that road. Whoever dreamt that up was someone sat in an office with a big map and hadn’t been here.

“We’ve got seven acres of land and they were going to take a bit of that originally. It went to the point where they told me they altered the route due to the number of homes that had to come down.

“There were loads of newcomers in this village that got fed up, sold up, and now they’ve gone. People come for a quiet village life, but then sell up and move.

“It’s happening again because of this new spur road. In the last 12 months the houses that have gone, it’s unbelievable.

“It was all falling on deaf ears, no one listened to the campaign groups trying to stop it happening.

“They’ve ruined everything around here. I never remember the lorries coming through.

“They’ve taken all the agricultural land away. You have to walk miles to see sheep and cows now – it’s ridiculous.

“I’ve lived 78 years in this village. I said to my husband Joe, if he hadn’t been ill, I would’ve moved because I’ve had it.”

Jonathan Reynolds and Jon Pearce, the MPs for Stalybridge & Hyde and High Peak respectively, have both previously voiced their support to campaigns to bring better road networks to the surrounding villages as well. Currently there are no plans other than the A57 link roads scheme.

Mr Reynolds said: “I’ve been fighting for a full solution to the traffic in Longdendale for over 20 years now. Whilst the current scheme is smaller than the one proposed in the past the key thing is it’s happening, and there’s no solution in Longdendale without first sorting out the M67 roundabout and the Mottram crossroads.

“What I want next is not just Hollingworth but also Glossop to be relieved as well. I’ve been asking people in Hollingworth what they want to see happen next and would welcome any constituent dropping me a line to share their thoughts.”

A spokesperson for National Highways said: “The A57 Link Roads scheme will deliver wide benefits to local communities. Residents and commuters traveling between Tintwistle, Hollingworth, and the M67 will enjoy faster, smoother journeys thanks to the new dual carriageway sections.

“Additionally, access to and from Glossop will be greatly enhanced. We are committed to continually exploring how we can make improvements to our network.”