As you will know, a Public Inquiry [PI] has been called to consider Objections received in connection with the Compulsory Purchase Orders [CPOs] and the Stopping Up of Footpaths Orders, which will need to be resolved before B&NES Council can proceed with the Bath Rapid Transit [BRT] scheme as part of the Bath Transportation Plan [BTP.]

As the Government have already announced massive cuts in expenditure for this year, we wrote to the Inspector appointed to hold the Inquiries, requesting that they be postponed until such time as it was known that the Grant Money would be available to carry out these schemes.

The letter is reproduced below.

25th May 2010


Bath Transportation Package - Compulsory Purchase Orders Inquiry


"With reference to the above and further to your letter dated 14 May 2010, in view of the Government’s proposed financial cuts for this year with £683m being cut from the Department for Transport’s budget, I and very many other residents who are affected by the BTP Package, request that the proposed Public Inquiries be postponed.


This country is said to be £150bn in debt and the deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said today that “The enormity of the black hole on public finance is far worse than we anticipated.”


The Budget will be held in June and a Spending Review in the autumn.


Under these circumstances it would seem that B&NES Council may well not be granted the necessary finance to carry out their BRT / BTP schemes and, I think that the CPO Pre-Inquiry and PI should be postponed until a clear situation arises concerning finance.


I am sure that it would be considered to be acting irrationally to spend many more thousands of pounds of public money on Inquiries with very little hope of the schemes proceeding in the near future.


I therefore request you to convey the content of this letter for a postponement of the Pre-Inquiry and the Public Inquiry to the Inspector and, for it to be forwarded to any other person or authority as necessary."

The reply received from Mrs Helen Wilson on behalf of the Inspector was:

“The inspector has asked me to respond as follows – he suggests that you raise the matter at this time with the Council, but unless and until the orders are withdrawn the inquiry will proceed, unless the Inspector hears very cogent reasons for it to be delayed.”

Bearing in mind the fact that B&NES Council were advised by letter from the Department for Transport [DfT] dated 20th April 2010 “if you choose to continue to work on your major scheme business case, this will be entirely at your own risk,” it would seem quite inappropriate to spend many thousands of pounds of public money on Public Inquiries at this time, before it is known whether funds will be made available by the DfT for the schemes to proceed.

We therefore urge you to make direct contact with the Leader of B&NES Council, Cllr Francine Haeberling, requesting that action be taken for the Public Inquiries to be postponed until a definite decision is made on government funding,

Contact details:

Councillor Francine Haeberling
Leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council
Guildhall
High Street
Bath
BA1 5AW

email: francine_haeberling@bathnes.gov.uk
Telephone: 01225 872199


We would appreciate being notified of any replies you may receive.

A small reminder.

Those of you who received a form from Mrs Helen Wilson on behalf of the Inspector, who intends to hold the Pre-Public Inquiry at the Guildhall Bath on Monday 14th June at 10.00am into the Objections received for the Compulsory Purchase Orders [CPOs] and Stopping up of Footpaths, are reminded that the form must be returned to Mrs Wilson by Tuesday 1st June 2010.

Contact details for Mrs Helen Wilson appeared in an earlier item.

In view of the short time period now available, if you have not already returned the form, we suggest that contact be made with her by E mail or telephone.

Designation of Footpath as a Public Footpath.

As a result of the submission of the Village Green application, B&NES Council have discovered that the footpath used by many to gain access to the Park and Ride Car Park and Newbridge Meadows, from the junction of Old Newbridge Hill with Newbridge Road, has not been designated as a Public Footpath.

Discussions have been held with the Council’s officer dealing with this matter, and maps have been prepared showing the footpath concerned and support for its use has been obtained.

This information will be submitted to the Council in due course.

Healthy pursuits in the open country.

An application has been submitted to B&NES Council by one of our members for a Village Green to be registered under the Commons Act 2006 - Section 15(1) on the Newbridge Meadows.

The land concerned is “that land predominantly to the northeast of Newbridge Park and Ride and known as Newbridge Meadows in Newbridge Bath.”

Notices have been posted at 10 sites at least adjoining the land with a Map attached showing clearly the area required to be registered.

The object of submitting this application is to preserve the Meadows for this and future generations to use for lawful pastimes such as dog walking, nature observations and the study and enjoyment of the environment.

It has been used for these purposes since 1940 and almost certainly before that date to the present time.

As you know there are very few suitable areas adjoining the city for dog walking and such like activities and, we need to preserve them.

If the application is successful, then the land would be preserved as now for ever more.

We hope that you will support this application by writing letters of support as soon as possible addressed to Mr Graeme Stark of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Riverside, Temple Street, Keynsham, BA31 1LA.

Your letters are really important to add weight to the application and result in success.

Any objections to this proposal must be sent to the Council on or before 19 July 2010.

Country walks may be a lost pursuit.

The Secretary of State has given notice that he proposes to make an Order under Section 24 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 - Section 247, to authorise the Diversion and Stopping up of various Public Footpaths in Newbridge in order to accommodate the BRT scheme including the Park and Ride Car Park extension.

We are opposed to this and many have sent in objections to the Secretary of State as a result of which he has called for a Public Inquiry [PI] to be held.

Monday 14 June 2010….. Guildhall Bath at 10.00am.

Please note that this is the same day and time as for the proposed CPO Pre-Inquiry.

As anyone can attend we encourage you to do so, in order to show our strength of feeling concerning the diversion and loss of certain Public Footpaths.

Update on Compulsory Purchase Orders.

Following on from the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) Public Inquiry (PI) statutory and non statutory objectors posting on Thursday 18 February 2010, the situation would appear to be that the CPO PI inspector will decide upon who can speak at the PI.

He is likely to make that decision at the Pre-Inquiry meeting.

The diary for the CPO PI events at the moment reads:-

Tuesday 1st June 2010…..latest date for return of Questionnaire to Helen Wilson, Programme Officer for the CPO PI.
Some of you may have received this Questionnaire on which you are requested to state whether you will be attending the Pre-Inquiry CPO meeting and also answer other questions.
Monday 14 June 2010…..CPO Pre-Inquiry meeting to be held at the Guildhall Bath at 10.00am.
We have ascertained that ANYONE can attend the Pre-Inquiry or actual Inquiry and we encourage you to attend to show your strength of feeling about the BRT/BTP, even if you are not intending to speak or attend further meetings.
Wednesday 11 August 2010….latest date for receipt of “Proof of Evidence” regarding the CPOs by the Inspector, or a date to be fixed by him at the Pre-Inquiry.
If you wish to appear at the actual CPO Inquiry you must confirm this on the Questionnaire.
Wednesday 1 September 2010…..CPO PI meeting to be held at the Guildhall Bath at 10.00am.

We are sure that you will have noted the cuts that the Government are proposing in public expenditure this year, a cut of £683m being for the Department of Transport alone out of a total of £6.2bn.

This country is £150bn in debt and the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said today on BBC TV “The enormity of the black hole on public finance is far worse than we anticipated.”

The Budget will be held in June with a Spending Review in the autumn.

Under these conditions it would seem that B&NES Council may well not be granted the necessary finance to carry out their BRT / BTP schemes and, we think that the CPO Pre-Inquiry and PI should be postponed until a clear situation arises concerning finance.

We are sure that it would be considered to be acting irrationally to spend many thousands of pounds of public money on Inquiries with very little hope of the schemes proceeding in the near future.

If you are of the same opinion as many readers are, we urge you to write or E mail without delay, a request for the Pre-Inquiry and actual Inquiry to be postponed until the Government’s financial position is made clearer and whether any “Grant Money” is likely to be made available for the BRT / BTP schemes. Ask for your request to be forwarded to any other person or authority as necessary.

You should address your request to:

Mrs Helen Wilson BA (Hons)
Programme Officer for the Public Inquiry
32 Pennyford Close
Brockhill,
Redditch
B97 6TW
email: progofficer@aol.com

Tel/Fax: 01527 65741

Mobile: 07879 443035

Thank you for waiting.

Hello again everyone !

Sorry for the delay, which was due to family illness, but we are now able to continue.

Please bear with us - more to follow ............