B&NES Council has made a preliminary application to the Department for Transport (DfT) for the major part of the funding for the BTP. To proceed to the next stage the Council has to have everything in place. This includes owning all the land currently under compulsory purchase order (CPO). The CPOs cover a wide spectrum from private gardens to commercial land, residential right of ways to the privately owned field that makes up half of the proposed Newbridge park and ride extension.
This will cost millions.
According to a recent report in The Times road building schemes across the UK will have to be postponed or cancelled due to Government cut backs. On 21 July 2009 it was announced that outstanding Government debt had risen to £799bn, 56.6% of UK GDP, the highest since records began in 1974. Therefore, even if B&NES Council manages to push through all the planning applications, the Secretary of State's investigations allow the BTP to progress further and the CPOs are completed there is no guarantee the DfT will make the money available.
This leaves the hard pressed Bath tax payer to foot the bill for the money spent.
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