Laura Fiske, planning officer for Friends of the Lake District, states that she considers Kendal does not need a noerthern relief road (Podium, August 3, ' Relief road would not improve town congestion').

Her reasoning is that much of the traffic congestion is made up of commuters and school-run traffic starting and finishing in Kendal.

I would challenge this statement on the basis that while agreeing with those categories, there is significant HGV and light van movements around town.

These are far more than simply commuters.

Our main industrial estates are situated in the north of the town. Many small businesses have vehicles that go to and from their premises, not to mention some larger businesses involving warehousing, building supplies and motor dealers, to name but a few. These latter categories utilise serious tonnage HGVs.

The recent floods brought to the head the fact that no traffic could go through to these premises, because we only have one bridge to facilitate, and while shut for a few days, it caused mayhem. If Victoria Bridge is damaged in any way, then it would cause some serious disruptions.

So – a Northern Relief road would be more than a 'sticking plaster' – it would take some serious volumes of traffic avoiding the centre of town.

As for the 'adverse landscape impacts' involved I’m quite sure that appropriate landscaping could be resolved in conjunction with the construction, that would not impact on the environs of the World Heritage Site.

Duncan Macbeth

Kendal