The Secretary of State for Transport hereby gives notice that he proposes to make an Order under Sections 84(1)(a) and (2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 on the A56 Trunk Road in the District of Rossendale in the County of Lancashire.

The Order, if made as proposed, will impose a 50mph speed limit on the following sections of the A56 Trunk Road at Bent Gate;

• 1 the A56 Trunk Road from a point 140 metres south east of the easterly parapet of Helmshore Road bridge to a point 190 metres south of the southerly end of the easterly parapet of the bridge over the East Lancashire Railway;
• 2 the exit slip road leaving the northbound carriageway of the A56 Trunk Road leading to the A680/B6257 Manchester Road roundabout;
• 3 the exit slip road leaving the southbound carriageway of the A56 Trunk Road leading to the A680 Manchester Road/A681 Haslingden Road roundabout;
• 4 the entry slip road leading to the southbound carriageway of the A56 trunk road from the A680/B6257 Manchester Road roundabout;
• 5 the entry slip road leading to the northbound carriageway of the A56 Trunk Road from Broadway which connects with the A680/B6257 Manchester Road roundabout.

The speed limit will not apply to vehicles being used for emergency purposes by the police, fire and rescue or ambulance services or anything done at the direction of, or with the permission of, a police officer in uniform.

A copy of the Order, together with the relevant plan and a statement of reasons for proposing to make the Order, have been deposited at Rawtenstall Library, Queen’s Square, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 5QL and Haslingden Library, Deardengate, Haslingden, Rossendale, Lancashire BB4 5QL where they may be inspected during normal opening hours, or may be seen at or obtained by application to the Director, The Highways Agency, Network Operations, Room 810, City Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, M1 4BE, quoting reference HA 28/3/170 Part 1.

Any person wishing to object to the Secretary of State’s proposal to make this Order should send a written statement of their objection and the grounds thereof to the Director’s address given above, quoting reference HA 28/3/170 Part 1, to be received no later than 28 March 2009.

Information provided in response to this Notice, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure in accordance with the access to information regimes. These are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

The contact for any further information about this notice is Graham Feehan. Telephone number: 0161 930 5522.

Peter Mitchell

An official of the Highways Agency