Friends of the Lake District have said the delay to the decision on whether to fully dual the A66 provides a ‘reprieve’ to the landscape.

A final decision over the £1.3 billion project to turn parts of the A66 into a dual carriageway has been delayed by four months.

A decision by the Government had been expected on November 7 but instead, any decision to dual 50 miles of the A66 between M6 (J40) at Penrith and the A1(M) (J53) at Scotch Corner has now been delayed until March 7, 2024.

Mark Harper, Secretary of State for Transport, was due to decide whether to give the project the nod and award a formal development consent order (DCO). Work would have started in spring 2024 with the project completed in 2029, had the go-ahead been given.

The delay has been criticised by some locals with Penrith and the Border MP, Dr Neil Hudson urging the government to take action on the scheme.

 Opponents of the development have long cited the potential harm that this development threatens to inflict on the landscape and tranquillity of the North Pennines.

Much of this is centred around damage to the peat bogs and other habitats of internationally protected wildlife sites which the development would potentially cause.

Opponents of the development are also calling for further consideration to be given to the impact on the cultural heritage of Cumbria.

The future of the 700-year-old Brough Hill Fair Gypsy Traveller site, home to a Gypsy Traveller community whose traditions have helped to shape the landscape over hundreds of years, would be potentially under threat.

The site, chartered by King Edward III in 1329 would need to be relocated by National Highways to make way for the new road. The loss of this site would be seen by many as a further erosion of the historic cultural heritage of the county.

“From the start of this process, we have called for safety upgrades to the road in the form of better junctions, safe crossings for local traffic and speed limits rather than wholesale duelling of the road, said Dr Kate Willshaw, Policy Officer at Friends of the Lake District.

“The motivation for this project is about the headlong rush to reduce travel times by increasing speeds on the road which in turn increases carbon emissions and undermines Cumbria’s forward-thinking ambition to reach net zero by 2037.”

“This road scheme would damage internationally protected wildlife sites and cut a swathe through our most treasured landscapes. Notwithstanding the immediate damage to the landscape of Cumbria.”

The decision on whether the £1.4 billion scheme will go ahead is now delayed until March 2024.