Information on Loughborough

Tree-mendous boost for bypass

Posted on 30/11/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Highways, Transportation & Waste Management

27 November 2009

Tree-mendous boost for bypass *** photo opportunity ***

Twenty-thousand more trees and shrubs are set to take root along the Earl Shilton bypass over the winter.

The planting, which also includes three-and-a-half miles of hedgerow, will create habitats for wildlife and and improve the landscape around the bypass named 'Clickers Way’.

To mark National Tree Week, County Council Leader David Parsons will plant a field maple at the bypass on Monday (30th November).

David Parsons, Leader of Leicestershire County Council, said: "The trees we planted a year ago are establishing and this next phase will enhance the environment further for local residents.

"Trees help to improve the environment and make the area greener, cleaner and more pleasant for everyone to enjoy and I'm pleased we are planting more along the bypass.”

As part of a separate project, the County Council hopes to plant another 80,000 trees across Leicestershire over the next 40 years, to replace those lost to Dutch Elm Disease and ash decline in the 1970s and 1980s.

Since the bypass opened in March 2009, the amount of traffic in Earl Shilton has gone down by around a third.

To find out more about the Earl Shilton bypass, please visit www.leics.gov.uk/a47_earl_shilton_bypass

National Tree Week runs from 25th November to 6th December.

Photo Opportunity:

On Monday, 30th November at 2pm, County Council Leader David Parsons will plant a tree at a site close to Carrs Hill roundabout, at the Hinckley end of the bypass. A press officer will be contactable on site on 07824 548047.

Notes:

Traffic count figures (two way traffic)

AAWF (Annual Average Weekday Flow) Monday to Friday

Leicester side of bypass 2008=12,831, 2009=8,567 (-4,264 vehicles)

Hinckley side of bypass 2008=19,055, 2009=13,828 (-5,227 vehicles)

AADF (Annual Average Daily Flow) includes Saturday and Sunday

Leicester side of bypass 2008=11,702, 2009=7,941 (-3761vehicles)

Hinckley side of bypass 2008=17,796, 2009=13,024 (-4772 vehicles)

National Tree Week

First run in 1975, National Tree Week was launched to follow up the success of National Tree Planting Year, with its slogan "Plant A Tree In ‘73". Every year, upward of half a million adults and children take part in around 2,000 events across the UK.

Visit The Tree Council's website, www.treecouncil.org.uk  for details of National Tree Week events and tips on tree planting and aftercare. Event information is also available from the Tree Council infoline, 020 7940 8180 (office hours)

Clickers Way

The role of a clicker – a shoe worker who cuts leather shapes that are later sewn together to make a shoe upper, was one of the most skilled and better paid jobs in the shoe industry. The term comes from the sound made when carrying out the job.  

Earl Shilton and nearby Barwell played an important role in the boot and shoe industry. At their peak in the 1950s, they supplied over 10 million pairs of the world’s shoes every year.

The road name was one of 58 put forward by residents last December. 'Clickers Way' was chosen by a panel of representatives from Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Blaby District Council and Leicestershire County Council.