Middlewich prepares for ‘biggest disruption it has seen’

Cllr Graham Orme, who has a background in health and safety in salt mining, spent several months looking into specialist monitors and at Monday night’s meeting the council agreed to purchase equipment costing £5,575.

Middlewich mayor Colin Coules said: “The equipment Graham [Orme] is putting forward to purchase fulfils the need we have now but, more importantly, as we move to the development of HS2 and the threat that poses to our town and air quality.

“We’d be in a bad position if we didn’t have the data recorded now so we can prove how it declines as we go through that system. If we start to challenge HS2 contamination in our town without any data it would be pointless.”

He added: “HS2 will be the biggest disruption this town has ever seen. Any groundwork we can do now to assemble data to get accurate facts and figures to help us challenge the construction teams, as and when it’s available, is going to be essential.”

Cheshire East Council has removed monitoring equipment from Booth Lane and Cledford Lane.

Cllr Orme said: “We need them back because of the developments down Booth Lane, Warmingham Lane etc and the consistent answer I get back [from Cheshire East] is, if we find out there’s an issue we’ll do something about it.

Cllr Graham Orme (Image: Middlewich Town Council)

“How do they find out there’s an issue because they will not go and do anything, in my opinion, until they’ve got evidence. Where do they get the evidence from? We’ve been badgering for these three [monitors] to be put back and nothing’s done.”

Middlewich has two air quality management areas – on Lewin Street and Chester Road.

Cllr Orme believes there are at least three further areas of concern which are not monitored.

“You’ve got potential developments down Croxton Lane that we’ve objected to, you’ve got a lot of houses built down Warmingham Lane,” he said. “I’ve been modelling traffic for I don’t know how long, it’s been increased by between 10 and 15 per cent on a regular basis.”

He said in the near future work would be starting on HS2.

“Without evidence Cheshire East are not going to do anything,” he said.

“Yes, it’s a box, it’s not going to make the air quality better, but without evidence with these reliable devices, we can’t put a case forward.”

Cllr Mike Hunter said the devices do make a difference.

“The air quality management zone on Lewin Street, that had an impact on the bypass and helped us get the bypass brought forward. If we don’t gather evidence we can’t refer to it,” he said.

The council voted unanimously to purchase an air quality measuring system.