Roadblock - press release

ROADS MINISTER PRE-JUDGES PEAK DISTRICT ROAD PUBLIC INQUIRY

Roads Minister, Stephen Ladyman, has prejudged the outcome of the public inquiry into the controversial Mottram Tintwistle Bypass in the Peak District National Park, anti-roads alliance Road Block said. They argue that the Minister could perhaps have acted illegally by make statements about the benefits of the scheme before the Inquiry.

Dr Ladyman announced on 1 June that an inquiry into the scheme would be delayed until next year as the Highways Agency have received a high volume of objections to the scheme [1]. Objections range from the Peak District National Park Authority, the Countryside Agency, the Environment Agency, English Nature and the National Trust and several local authorities who will suffer from the enormous traffic generated by the scheme [2]. There were over 1,400 objections during the official consultation period. The inquiry was due to start in Sept 2006.

In the Highways Agency press release the minister said:
"Life for people in Mottram, Tintwhistle and Hollingworth should be greatly improved by this bypass. Getting traffic out of the villages will make them a safer and healthier place to live."

The purpose of a public inquiry is to independently assess the schemes impacts before an independent inspector. Ministers then make a decision based on the Inspector's report.

Road Block coordinator said

"The roads minister seems to have already made up his mind about this scheme before even hearing the evidence. It is no wonder that people have little faith in public inquiries when it seems that minister's minds are already made up. This scheme is becoming increasingly more unpopular and Ladyman should be using this extra time to reconsider the whole scheme, and look at the available sustainable alternatives. Ladyman seems to be behaving more and more like an environmental thug, not caring about the impact of his policies and statements on our environment [3]."

Local opposition against the scheme is growing rapidly [4] since the publication of the Environmental Statement which showed the huge amount of traffic that would be generated in the National Park and surrounding area. See http://www.saveswallowswood.org.uk/

Notes to Editors

[1] Highways Agency press release, PUBLIC INQUIRY ANNOUNCED INTO A57/A628 MOTTRAM/TINTWISTLE BYPASS, 1 June 2006
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=205105&NewsAreaID=2

[2] Since the publication of the Environmental Statement a number of Statutory Bodies have changed their position to object to the scheme, including the Peak District National Park Authority
http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/index/news/news-display-page.htm?id=11990

[3] Significant local opposition is mounting to the scheme. Recent opinion polls show that 70% of local people would support a lorry ban through the villages rather than a destructive new road. See http://www.saveswallowswood.org.uk/news/2006-03-21.htm

[4] At a recent road pricing conference Dr Ladyman said that protecting the environment and reducing CO2 emissions were not objectives of road pricing, and beating congestion was more important. Dr Ladyman appeared on Top Gear within weeks of his appointment, boasting about his 3 speeding convictions, and admitted to the Times (Feb 27 2006) that he had considered the low emissions Prius car “for, ooo, about a millisecond”, before opting for an Alfa Romeo GT diesel.