Residents fight back over road noise (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Residents along the A419 fight back over road noise

1:21pm Friday 8th February 2013 in News By Ian Craig

RESIDENTS living alongside a busy dual carriageway near Cirencester have launched a campaign to fight a problem that has plagued them for more than a decade.

The A419 Noise Action Group (NAG) is a collection of residents, along with town, parish and district councillors living along or near the A419 and A417 fighting back against the noise from the busy dual carriageway.

The A419 through Latton was built in 1998 but, as it was surfaced with concrete rather than the more expensive but quieter and more environmentally-friendly asphalt, vehicles travelling along the road at speed make a significant amount of noise.

Latton resident Janet Sharpe said the problem was becoming increasingly disruptive to the lives of people living along the road.

"People are reporting being unable to sleep, unable to open windows and enjoy their homes and gardens," she said. "It feels like those who have the power and budgets to deal with these issues are not listening to citizens’ concerns and this gives the message that people don’t matter."

Although residents were promised work would be carried out between 2004 and 2007, none has been carried out more than five years later.

Cotswold District Councillor Paul Hodgkinson (Lib Dem, Churn Valley), who is chairing the group, said the problem could be rectified by resurfacing the road with a quieter material.

"We believe that all who suffer the horrible consequence of this miscalculation deserve to be given the road they were promised,” he said.

Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said, if the Labour government had kept its promise to resurface the road when the resources were available to do so, this problem would not be plaguing residents today.

"Governments ever since have maintained that there will only be funds to do this when the existing road surface wears out," he said. "However, if the residents can provide me with new evidence I will happily try to persuade the coalition government to change its mind."

More information on the group can be found at a419nag.co.uk