{"id":704823,"date":"2026-01-18T19:12:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T19:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/704823\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T19:12:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T19:12:20","slug":"villages-killed-trees-felled-and-narrow-country-lanes-turned-into-bottlenecks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/704823\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Villages killed, trees felled, and narrow country lanes turned into bottlenecks’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A public inquiry into rail upgrade that could leave villages ‘cut off’ for months has been announced.\"Public<\/p>\n

Public inquiry announced into rail upgrade that could leave villages ‘cut off’ for months.(Image: KBP)<\/p>\n

The government has launched a public inquiry into part of a major rail upgrade that is \u2018crucial\u2019 – but could leave a thriving Greater Manchester area \u2018cut off\u2019 for months.<\/p>\n

The inquiry by the Department of Transport will allow local representatives to raise converns about a section of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, a project aimed at modernising the railway system between York and Manchester.<\/p>\n

Part of the update runs between Stalybridge<\/a> and Diggle, bringing \u2018much needed\u2019 changes to Mossley and Greenfield stations, such as desperately-needed wheelchair access. But there\u2019s a big problem.<\/p>\n

Road closures and land seizures could \u2018kill\u2019 the villages of Saddleworth<\/a>, according to campaign groups and businesses. Local councillors and the parish council are \u2018strongly objecting\u2019 to the current plans.<\/p>\n

\"CGI<\/p>\n

CGI of improvements at Greenfield Station.(Image: Copyright Unknown)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not trying to stop the Transpennine Route Upgrade itself,\u201d explained coun Helen Bishop. \u201cBut we want to make sure it\u2019s delivered in the least disruptive way possible. We want to protect Saddleworth from decisions that could be detrimental and that we\u2019ll have to live with for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Saddleworth South representative says one of the biggest issues facing the area would be the five-month closure of the A670 at Greenfield to build a new railway bridge. The road is the main route into Uppermill, a flourishing village reliant on visiting walkers and tourists, as well as Diggle and Delph.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact of that will kill a lot of businesses,\u201d said coun Bishop.<\/p>\n

Business owners in Uppermill previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the closures could destroy the high street<\/a> if handled incorrectly.<\/p>\n

Felicity Mistry, managing director of The Cake Kitchen, worried she\u2019d \u2018probably have to close down\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Felicity<\/p>\n

Felicity Mistry at The Cake Kitchen in Uppermill(Image: Copyright Unknown)<\/p>\n

Mistry said: \u201cI don\u2019t have five months of savings, this is a small business. And lots of businesses here will be in the same boat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be horrific. We won\u2019t be able to access the bridge, meaning everyone will have to use the bypass behind Greenfield Station. It\u2019ll make it harder for staff to get in, let alone visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does depend on how they do it. It\u2019s when there\u2019s misleading signs and they don\u2019t put in proper diversions that it becomes a real problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Network Rail previously told the LDRS they \u2018recognised the need for clearer signage and more proactive communication with businesses\u2019 when the diversion is put in place, and are committed to \u2018ensuring access to Uppermill High Street wherever it is safe to do so\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is the small roads that would become diversion routes are not fit for purpose,\u201d Coun Bishop added. \u201cCarr Lane would become an absolute bottleneck. And it\u2019s already more patch than road at the moment. It\u2019s like driving over a cheese grater.<\/p>\n

\"There<\/p>\n

There are fears the plans as they currently stand will cause major disruption to the villages of Saddleworth.(Image: Copyright Unknown)<\/p>\n

The narrow lane, which runs between Greenfield and Uppermill, would become the main rat-run for parents taking their kids to Saddleworth School, the only secondary school in the area. It\u2019s also difficult to access for emergency vehicles and buses, according to a 10-page document of objections sent to DfT from the Parish Council.<\/p>\n

Another part of the scheme would see residents of Diggle diverted \u2018over a field\u2019 next to the Peak District National Park to reach their homes. Other parts of land, many of which are \u2018part of Saddleworth\u2019s beautiful landscape – the reason so many tourists come to visit\u2019, could see trees felled to make way for compounds for the storage of equipment and building materials.<\/p>\n

Another local councillor, Sam Al-Hamdani said: \u201cThese compounds are being plonked over local facilities, and in one case a Site of Biological Importance, with no guarantees about how that site will be protected, and not enough information \u2013 or consultation \u2013 on how those local facilities will be impacted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not good enough, and I want this properly addressed before any decision is taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The ‘much steeper’ replacement route for the Moorgate Crossing. (Image: )<\/p>\n

The long list of concerns also include the replacement of Moorgate Crossing – a favourite route for walkers heading to Moorgate Quarry – with a steep and \u2018dangerous\u2019 route once used by hardy quarry workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Councillor Max Woodvine said: \u201cAlongside Councillors Pam Byrne and Luke Lancaster I wrote to the Secretary of State stating my opposition particularly to the closure of the Public Right of Way at Moorgate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Network Rail have argued the new crossing is the \u2018safest and most cost effective\u2019 option.<\/p>\n

But most of all what the people of Saddleworth are demanding, according to local representatives, is \u2018more say and more answers\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere simply isn\u2019t enough detail in the plans for us to understand how it will affect us and how to mitigate it. It\u2019s an idea – but the execution hasn\u2019t been thought through,\u201d coun Bishop concluded.<\/p>\n

Network Rail did not respond to the specific concerns raised by councillors, but Mark Ashton<\/a>, Sponsor for Transpennine Route Upgrade said: \u201cFollowing the submission of our Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) for the Stalybridge to Diggle section of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, the Department for Transport has confirmed that the application will proceed to a public inquiry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a standard part of the TWAO process and will be led by the Department for Transport. We will continue to support the process where required and provide information to assist the inquiry as it moves forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A public inquiry into rail upgrade that could leave villages ‘cut off’ for months has been announced. Public…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":704824,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,124868,193347,393,4884,85251,2465,1836,1286,14984,285,49364,16,15,104522],"class_list":["post-704823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manchester","tag-britain","tag-delph","tag-diggle","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-greenfield","tag-manchester","tag-network-rail","tag-oldham","tag-oldham-council","tag-politics","tag-saddleworth-and-lees","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-uppermill"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115917694947237481","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=704823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/704824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=704823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=704823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=704823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}