http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Transport-package-inquiry-scrapped-Government-spending-crackdown/article-2292876-detail/article.html

We have been advised by the Inspector’s Programme Officer that the Pre-Inquiry scheduled to be held next Monday 14th June and the Public Inquiry set to be held on 1st September 2010 have both been postponed.

The full text of the message received is set out below.

10 June 2010


“The Secretary of State for Transport has issued a Statement today, indicating that the Department for Transport (DfT) will play a full part in the Government's spending review, which is being undertaken in view of the urgent need to tackle the UK's record budget deficit. This spending review will be reporting in the Autumn and only once it has been completed will the DfT be in a position to identify those major investments that can be supported.


“Steps are therefore being taken to help avoid unnecessary expenditure, whilst the Government considers its transport priorities. The Statement makes it clear that Ministers will postpone decisions on scheme orders and public inquiries relating to schemes which require DfT funding, unless alternative funding sources are available. As the Bath Transportation Package requires DfT funding this means that the Public Inquiries, scheduled to commence on 1 September 2010, have today been postponed.


“In consequence, the Pre-Inquiry Meeting scheduled for Monday 14 June 2010 is also postponed.


“The Government will aim to provide a firm indication on the way forward later this year once the spending review is complete.”

We thank all those who have given support for the abandonment of the Council’s proposals and we will keep you advised of any future developments.

Additional information regarding Pre - Public Inquiry Agenda.

Following a request from Newbridge Matters, we have received clarification of some of the items on the agenda.

• The meeting is not expected to last more than 2 hours.
• The Inspector will not be making any site visits next Monday, the day of the meeting.
• Under ‘Any other Business’ only ‘Procedural’ questions may be asked.
• Questions on the merits of the Orders / Application will not be dealt with at this meeting.

Even though the scope for putting questions is very limited, we hope that you will attend this meeting to show your support for the rejection of the Council’s proposals.

Agenda for Pre- Public Inquiry.

Monday 14th June 2010 10.00am at the Guildhall Bath

We have received the agenda for the Pre-Inquiry meeting as set out below.

BATH TRANSPORTATION PACKAGE

CONCURRENT PUBLIC INQUIRIES INTO:

Compulsory Purchase Orders, Footpath Orders & S19 Application

PRE-INQUIRY MEETING

Monday 14 June 2010

10:00am at The Guildhall, Bath

AGENDA

1 Introduction by the Inspector

2 Purpose of the Pre-Inquiry Meeting

3 Scope of the Inquiry – The Orders

4 Appearances at the Inquiry

5 Inquiry website

6 Procedure at the Inquiry

7 Documentation & timetable prior to the Inquiry

8 Venue, Sittings & Facilities

9 Site Visits

10 Any Other Business

11 Close of Meeting


David Wildsmith

Inspector

3 June 2010



We hope that you will all try to attend this meeting to show the strength of feeling we have regarding the Council’s proposals.

Update re - Public Inquiry into Compulsory Purchase Orders.

Many readers will be aware from Public Notices published in The Bath Chronicle, that B&NES Council has now made Supplementary Compulsory Purchase Orders [CPOs] concerning land they require for the Bath Transportation Package [BTP.]


These latest CPOs require any objections to be submitted to the Secretary of State by Friday 25th June 2010, which is after Monday 14th June - the date already scheduled for the Pre-Inquiry to be held.

We have been in contact with the Programme Officer for the Inspector and have been advised as follows:

“The Supplementary CPOs are for the accommodation works, connected with the scheme, which should have been submitted under S240 of the Highways Act (temporary acquisition) but were in error included in the main (permanent) CPOs. The Council have said that they will accept any relevant objections made under the original CPOs as objections to the relevant Supplementary CPO.


“The Council will give a full explanation at the Pre-Inquiry Meeting (PIM) next week. Please be reassured that there will not be a need for a second PIM, because of the deadline for objections on the Supplementary CPOs being after the Meeting on the 14th. As the Pre-Inquiry Meeting is purely procedural, nobody's right to appear at the Inquiry on Wednesday 1st September 2010 is prejudiced by not attending.”

However we urge you all to attend the Pre-Inquiry meeting to be held at the Guildhall Bath next Monday 14th June at 10.00am to not only witness the provisions of the Law by way of Acts of Parliament being carried out but, to also show the strength of feelings we have concerning the Council’s proposals for constructing a car park, a new road and the stopping up of public footpaths.

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.