Newbridge Matters!

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as follows – he suggests that you raise the matter at this time with the Council, but unless and until the orders are withdrawn the inquiry will proceed, unless the Inspector hears very cogent reasons for it to be delayed.”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