Trees and transport for all.
Not more traffic and tarmac.
We're a group of concerned local residents who have been campaigning since 2019 to stop the A38 Derby junctions road scheme.
We are standing up to protect our environment and our health from a highly disruptive, over £600 million road expansion that would drag on for more than four years and likely make congestion worse, especially on nearby local roads.
There are less harmful, less expensive and less disruptive transport alternatives that the Government have refused to ever consider.
They only explored road schemes.
The harms outweigh any benefits
When the scheme was approved, decision makers formally recorded that all of the following weighed against it:
Permanent destruction of nearly 12 hectares of woodland, centuries old trees and a Local Wildlife Site
Increased carbon emissions from both construction and increased traffic
Worsened air quality, especially around Markeaton and the Royal School for the Deaf
Demolition of homes and compulsory purchase of people's land
Over four years of severe construction disruption with no finalised traffic management plan
Temporary and permanent pedestrian and cyclist pathway severance
Heritage damage in Markeaton Park
Increased flood risk
Every single one of these harms was formally recorded as weighing against approval. The main justification for overriding them was the supposed economic benefit - congestion relief and facilitating development. That justification is now collapsing.
The economic case no longer stacks up:
The benefit-cost ratio has fallen from 2.6 in 2019 to 1.11 by October 2024 and may now be below 1.0, meaning the scheme costs more than it delivers
Costs have tripled from £200-250 million to over £600 million
Traffic modelling has not yet been updated since 2019, despite housing numbers growing from a minimum of 11,000 to 43,000
National Highways' own documents predict the scheme will increase operational traffic - induced demand
Derby City Council's own analysis warns the scheme may simply move congestion from the A38 onto surrounding local roads, with no guaranteed funding for the Council to deal with the consequences
Before-and-after visualisation showing how the A38 Kingsway Junction expansion fells thousands of trees, removes some of Mackworth Park, damages Bramble Brook, destroys a Local Wildlife Site, and increases noise, light, and air pollution for nearby residents.
Before-and-after visualisation showing woodland destruction, farmland loss, wetland disturbance, increased flooding risk, and greater pollution around the A38 Little Eaton Junction expansion.
Before-and-after visualisation showing the destruction of ancient trees, loss of parkland, widened A38, construction in Markeaton Park, and increased pollution affecting residents and the Royal School for the Deaf.
What is the A38 Derby junctions scheme?
This is a National Highways (formerly Highways England) scheme funded by the government. It was estimated to cost between £220 - £250 million back in 2019. It has since increased to over £646 million.
The consultation was in 2015, before Parliament’s declaration of a climate emergency and stronger climate laws, and before the COVID pandemic which changed many people’s travel behaviour and needs. It only received 739 responses.
The planning inspectorate examination between 2019 and 2020 received 31 relevant representations, 13 written representations and 721 questions in the first round. Many were objections from local residents and environmental groups.
National Highways estimates the construction work will take 4 years. In addition to flyovers and underpasses, the proposed scheme would widen the A38 to 3 lanes around each of the three junctions and for the entire stretch between Kedleston Road to past Kingsway roundabout.
During this time the A38 will be shut and traffic will likely divert through Derby city centre, smaller roads and residential areas. There is no traffic mitigation plan in place yet.
Why is the scheme not the solution?
The scheme will come at great environmental and financial cost and will actually facilitate an increase in traffic.
It would be much better to spend the money on improving public transport which would create long term affordable and accessible options for everyone, and would reduce congestion.
-
Derby City Council's own local impact report warns the scheme’s benefits are highly sensitive to traffic volumes
Housing numbers linked to the scheme have grown from a minimum of 11,000 to 43,000
Traffic modelling was last updated 2019, designed for 2024 opening
National Highways' own Environmental Statement predicts operational traffic will increase
National Highways' own 2017 Pinch Point Programme review found most road capacity schemes failed to relieve congestion
During the planning examination, Derby City Council identified likely traffic increases on local roads as a direct result of the scheme and asked National Highways to consider mitigation. National Highways' response was that this is "an inevitable effect" of the scheme and that responsibility for managing and funding any resulting mitigation rests with Derby City Council — stating that "how these works should be funded is a political decision over which Highways England has no control."
Studies have shown throughout the years that new roads don’t ease congestion, but make it worse, because the ‘induced’ traffic fills up all of the new road space and spills over onto the rest of the road network.
-
National Highways tree felling plans show the loss of thousands of trees including an irreplaceable, nearly 300 year old veteran oak tree.
11.38 hectares of woodland will be cut down for the A38 expansion. According to National Highways own biodiversity statement, the scheme will result in the complete loss of the A38 Kingsway roundabout Local Wildlife Site. They will only replant 6.40 hectares.
It will take decades for those saplings to offer the same benefits to wildlife, shade, noise & visual screening and carbon storage.
That may never happen as extreme heat from the climate crisis has caused saplings planted as mitigation in other road schemes to die with replanting costing millions.
-
On page 38 in these National Highways documents there is a table showing minimal NO2 (nitrous oxide) concentration reductions in some areas (with increases in others) from predicted traffic growth and road realignment.
However those NO2 levels are not in line with the latest World Health Organisation recommended safe air quality levels.
Derby City Council admits in their Air Quality Action Plan that the A38 road works will make air pollution worse in the city during construction.
National Highways have also admitted that there will be noise increases for many residential areas.
-
There are currently no traffic mitigation plans in place for the four years of roadworks and closures of the A38.
The government’s decision letter acknowledges that the construction will cause driver stress and ” there would likely be increased congestion and delays to parts of the local road network during the construction phase and there is a degree of uncertainty about what the precise extent of that would be”.
Due to the location of the works, this will impact access to key areas in our city such as shops at Kingsway, Royal Derby Hospital and the University of Derby.
-
Many local residents and businesses have faced “compulsory purchase orders” where the Government has forced them to sell their property for the scheme. As an example, the houses on Queensway opposite Markeaton Park have now been boarded up for years.
There will also be a loss of public space from Mackworth park and Markeaton park. In total this will be the same as 10 football fields of green space.
How do we stop the scheme?
In 2021 we successfully stopped the scheme through our first crowd funded legal challenge.
The government tried to push through the scheme again in August 2023 so we launched a second legal challenge.
Despite our best efforts and the economic assessment being out of date, the High Court ruled in favour of the Department for Transport and National Highways, but we refuse to give up.
We are urging the Government to scrap the scheme for good and save much needed money.
Take Action: Write to political representatives
Write to Decision Makers – A Harmful Road Scheme with a Collapsing Economic Case. Send your letter here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/a38-expansion-a-harmful-road-scheme-with-a-collapsing-economic-case-write-to-decision-makers
It should only take 2 minutes unless you want to write some personalised text.
Follow
Supporting us on via Facebook, Twitter (X), Bluesky and Instagram increases our visibility and awareness.
Sign up to our newsletter.
Share
Spread the word with your friends, family and colleagues via e-mail, WhatsApp or word of mouth. Lots of people have no idea this scheme is happening so please let them know.
Thank you for nearly 1,000 pledges