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Making you an offer you can't refuse
2008-05-31 22:45:00 With the Public Inquiry in abeyance, all kinds of things are going on in the background. Whilst planners are no doubt working overtime to make adjustments to future traffic flow predictions, both in Mottram and Glossopdale, it's also likely that individual objectors are being worked upon.Late last year saw the withdrawal of the objection (opens PDF) from the Greater Manchester Directors of Public Health. Upon closer examination, it seems that in writing the objection, a Dr Watkins had used the wrong headed notepaper to write his letter, and some bright spark amongst the supporters team used it as an opportunity to seek support amongst the NHS secretariat to get the objection withdrawn.Does this mean that the regional NHS - let alone the local Primary Care Trust - does not take a view as to the health impacts of the construction of the road?Mottram Show Committee are, you would have thought, another natural objector given that their showground will be destroyed by the bypass. But th...
Public Inquiry into Western Powers 4th application!
2008-05-19 12:18:00 Cardiff City Council has won its case against Western Power's challenge in the County Court to terminate its tenancy of Lanishen Reservoir. "The Council is now entitiled to a new lease of the site," and Cardiff's high quality Sailing Centre can remain open.Public Inquiry again -The Public Inquiry into Western Power's Fourth Planning Application will be held in Committee Rooms 3 and 4 of County Hall, Cardiff Bay from Monday to Friday each week between the hours of 10.00am to 5.00 pm. The Inspector, Mr. Richard Potterton, will open the Inquiry at 10.00am on Wednesday 28h May 2008 and it is expected to last for 12 days. The first three days will be concerned with procedural matters and the opening addresses of Counsels on behalf of the Applicant, the County Council and the Reservoir Action Group. The Council will present its case and call its witnesses.On Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd June RAG's case will be presented and its witnesses will give their evidence. On Wednesday 4th Ju...
European MP Joins Call For Public Inquiry Into UK Sports Centre
2008-05-15 04:03:00 A European Member of Parliament has joined many others that are calling for a public inquiry to be held over exposure of council staff to the potentially deadly carcinogenic, asbestos. Staff were exposed to the substance at the Woodhouse Close Leisure Centre in the UK, which is run by the district council. Officials at the ...
Brown promises public inquiry into Iraq - but not now
2008-03-18 17:30:00 anthony @ 16:30 GMT There WILL be a public inquiry into Iraq, says Brown By Andrew Grice and Nigel Morris | The Independent UK | Monday, 17 March 2008 Gordon Brown has promised that the Government will hold a full-scale inquiry into the mistakes made in Iraq before and since the invasion five years ago. His concession marks a ...
By: Suzie-Q
Siege must be choking
2008-03-16 18:27:00 After a long, long wait, the Longdendale Siege Committee have finally updated their website, and the most noticeable addition is a new page about Nitrogen Dioxide pollution in Hollingworth.From an academic point of view, the data they provide is useless - in the sense that they do not provide sources for their data. If there are no points of reference for the information they provide, then it cannot be effectively verified or checked.Now don't get us wrong: we are not saying that there is not pollution in Longdendale or Hollingworth, but we would like to be able to examine the validity and accuracy of the data they present. We feel that this is not unreasonable.So in the absence of proper references, we can only turn to the information put before the Public Inquiry. The Highways Agency's Air Quality expert, Mr Bean (seriously), presented a lot of information about pollution. The accuracy of his data and the methodology deployed may be looked at in a future post here, but for the t...
STOP PRESS! - Public Inquiry dead as a Dodo?
2008-03-12 18:37:00 We've missed this one, but so has everyone else. On Monday, the Highways Agency informed the Inspector of the Public Inquiry, John Watson, that they will not be ready to present proper finalised evidence until OCTOBER 2008.One wonders if the PI will ever reconvene. More soon...
[Ironic] Not News: Group can?t afford lawyer for public inquiry. Fark: It?s
2008-03-08 07:43:00 (Winnipeg Free Press)
Roy Oldham's money shot
2008-01-22 21:31:00 Trench warfare continues. Roy Oldham is clearly worried that he'll be pushing up daisies by the time work starts on the bypass.So today, he has launched an offensive in the Manchester Evening News with the publication of this article.If you don't want to read this crap, the gist of it is that the delays in the Public Inquiry (PI) are 'holding back business' (heaven forfend!).In a world where the most important of all considerations is economic, the mask has slipped for Oldham: he loves money, as do his cronies. Those who live in the area - and who don't easily have the wool pulled over their eyes - are experiencing the 'economic prosperity' this bypass will bring, but not in an economic way. Go to Tintwistle and look across to Hadfield - straight at those awful grey sheds - Rossington Park and Bridge Mills. Go into Glossop and take a look at all the 'same as everywhere else' chain stores. The economic prosperity they bring (and who they bring it to) is debateable - what is...
Roy Oldham's money shot
2008-01-22 21:31:00 Trench warfare continues. Roy Oldham is clearly worried that he'll be pushing up daisies by the time work starts on the bypass.So today, he has launched an offensive in the Manchester Evening News with the publication of this article.If you don't want to read this crap, the gist of it is that the delays in the Public Inquiry (PI) are 'holding back business' (heaven forfend!).In a world where the most important of all considerations is economic, the mask has slipped for Oldham: he loves money, as do his cronies. Those who live in the area - and who don't easily have the wool pulled over their eyes - are experiencing the 'economic prosperity' this bypass will bring, but not in an economic way. Go to Tintwistle and look across to Hadfield - straight at those awful grey sheds - Rossington Park and Bridge Mills. Go into Glossop and take a look at all the 'same as everywhere else' chain stores. The economic prosperity they bring (and who they bring it to) is debateable - what is...
Levitt's 2008 predictions
2008-01-07 17:56:00 In his column in last week's Glossop Chronicle (actually a regurgitation of his own New Year press release), Tom Levitt makes an astonishing prediction:"We will find out the result of the Tintwistle Mottram bypass enquiry in 2008 and I am confident that, despite hiccups, the result will be in its favour"One wonders how Levitt has arrived at this conclusion: looking back to the last sitting of the Public Inquiry (PI) on December 18th last year, The Highways Agency (HA) could only give a vague commitment about when they would be ready to tell the PI when they would be ready!If one imagines this is going to be 'after Easter 2008', then that would mean after 23rd March. So if we're being optimistic, it may be possible that the HA would be able to tell John Watson they would be ready by May this year - the first anniversary of the commencement of the PI.Of course, all of their information may then have to be republished, and it's possible that another consultation period will then f...
Levitt's 2008 predictions
2008-01-07 17:56:00 In his column in last week's Glossop Chronicle (actually a regurgitation of his own New Year press release), Tom Levitt makes an astonishing prediction:"We will find out the result of the Tintwistle Mottram bypass enquiry in 2008 and I am confident that, despite hiccups, the result will be in its favour"One wonders how Levitt has arrived at this conclusion: looking back to the last sitting of the Public Inquiry (PI) on December 18th last year, The Highways Agency (HA) could only give a vague commitment about when they would be ready to tell the PI when they would be ready!If one imagines this is going to be 'after Easter 2008', then that would mean after 23rd March. So if we're being optimistic, it may be possible that the HA would be able to tell John Watson they would be ready by May this year - the first anniversary of the commencement of the PI.Of course, all of their information may then have to be republished, and it's possible that another consultation period will then f...
Public Inquiry cancellation - TV news item
2007-12-19 19:53:00 Here we are again with Channel M news: to illustrate their news items, they love to use a traffic jam which is actually along the A57 going into Glossop at Brookfield, and in the opposite direction to the A628. They've done this before.And they've got Mike Flynn to stand not far from his house again too. Our spies tell us there was no sign of him at the PI yesterday, as is usual. He's obviously not that outraged, or he'd be there telling the Inspector.But the best bit is when he says "...it's like this all day, every day for 24 hours...". Yes Mike, that's because it's a main road. But it's simply not true to say the traffic is the same all the time "24 hours a day". It's at it's worst at Peak times, and significantly less during school holidays.You can always get the other side of the story here.
Hostages to fortune
2007-12-18 17:22:00 Day 15 of the Public Inquiry (PI) - amazing isn't it? it's been running for more than 6 months, yet it's only just managed to have a fortnight of 'sitting days'.The Highways Agency have managed to go one better than at the last hearing on November 6th. For now, they have managed to get the PI postponed indefinitely.Stephen Greenhalgh (for the Highways Agency) was unable to say when their evidence would be sufficiently in order to present to the PI, but promised to return 'after Easter' to give an update. The Inspector, John Watson, wanted him to be more specific:JW - There is an awful lot of time, I hope, after Easter 2008. How long after Easter 2008 do you have in mind?SG - I don't know at this stage, sir.For once, the Peak District National Park looked like they had some bite. Their Barrister, Mr Cannock, set out a perfectly reasonable possible order of events:The Highways Agency withdraw the Line OrdersThey produce new traffic forecastsThey introduce a consultation on a P...
The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny
2007-12-04 22:24:00 Remember our last post about the Public Inquiry? We'd predicted a war of attrition, and there's some news today which bears that out.The PI website contains a new Highways Agency document (opens PDF) which sets out their timescale for the republication of their Proofs of Evidence, the Environmental Statement and other relevant documents. They don't expect to have these ready until after Easter 2008.Nice to have the advance warning for the next scheduled PI day of December 18th. On that day, does anyone expect Inspector Watson to do anything other than allow them to carry on with this farce?In the meantime, the Easter Bunny is bunkered down and ready for war...
Spot the fake...
2007-10-01 19:57:00 After noticing that a weblog has popped up documenting James Purnell's fake photo album, here's a little gallery of clearly fake photos that can be added:Purnell lurking around the rear entrance to the Stalybridge Civic Hall......lurking around the front.......and joined by a few friends.All of these people - James Purnell MP, Cllr Roy Oldham, Mike Flynn, Tom Levitt MP, Cllr Sean Parker-Perry & Cllr Jonathan Reynolds - have not and will not be appearing at the Public Inquiry (held at the Civic Hall) to defend their cause, the Longdendale Bypass...What a bunch of fakes
9/11 - for the Highways Agency & TMBC - exclusive
2007-09-11 17:03:00 You can read it here before you'll read it anywhere else, but today brings news that the Highways Agency have chosen today (of all days) to announce at the Public Inquiry that they had done their sums seriously wrong. Again.Stephen Greenhalgh, the leader of the Highways Agency team, took his place to explain how their figures regarding traffic were incorrect, and that this meant that a whole slew of their other evidence would have to be reviewed alongside this, as well as Tameside's for the Spur. His words:"I consider it to be a fundamental issue"And so do we. It's clear that they've been rumbled (they admitted that the evidence of an objector had made them think again) - their 'back of fag packet' sums are a sure sign that they want this road and to hell with the science, ecology, pollution, the whole lot: "just do anything to get this road through". There's little doubt that's been said by someone, somewhere.The Inquiry has now been adjourned to next Wednesday 19th Septemb...
Do as I say, & not as I do...
2007-09-03 21:05:00 Everyone in Tameside - and beyond - has reason to be disappointed with this Public Inquiry. Why?Well, it seems that the biggest local advocates for this bypass - that is Roy Oldham and his brother-in-law Mike Flynn, Chairman of the Longdendale Siege Committee - will not be appearing to give evidence in support of it. This is clear because phase 2 of the PI is about to start, and the case for the Promoters and Supporters is over.So when they mewl and puke in the press, as did Flynn in last week's Glossop Chronicle, about the weakness of Objector's evidence and the strength of theirs, it is all crap. Because if they are so sure of their case, why are they not prepared to go on public record to defend it?What have they go to hide? Why are they so afraid?After all, wasn't this their golden opportunity, their moment? Let's face it, they're both getting on in years - especially Oldham - & there won't be another opportunity. And for those who think this bypass is a good idea, it woul...
Call for public inquiry into 7/7
2007-08-16 13:17:00 Anthony @ 12:20 BST BBC News Wednesday, August 15, 2007 Survivors of the 7 July London bombings have threatened legal action over the government’s refusal to grant an independent public inquiry. A group of survivors and relatives of those killed have handed a letter into the Home Office. This document outlines the group’s intention to pursue a Judicial Review ...
By: Suzie-Q
Differences of (medical) opinion
2007-08-04 20:07:00 There are 2 interesting documents to compare at the Public Inquiry website, as is usual, one in opposition, and one in support of the bypass.Firstly, the objection supplied by the Directors of Public Health of Greater Manchester. This is a lengthy, comprehensive and damning critique of the lack of consideration given to the effects on human health of this road scheme. They also supply a fantastic quote (para 13):"It follows that once a road has become part of a saturated road system attempting to solve traffic problems with road construction is as sensible as trying to dig a hole in the surface of a lake"And then you have a letter supporting the bypass from a local GP surgery, the Smithy Surgery in Hollingworth. This is the best they can offer (emphasis added):"We are a GP Surgery at the intersection of the A628 and the road that goes to Glossop. We have many patients within the Longdendale valley and are fully aware of the present high pollution levels and emissions caused by the ...
John Watson's tour of Longdendale - ' On the Road Again'
2007-07-22 20:06:00 The latest dates have been announced for John Watson's 'Tour de Longdendale' - the itinerary for his tour locations (and impromptu gigs) has been announced and can be viewed here. He'll be taking to the road on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th of July, to view the sites and areas the Highways Agency/TMBC wants to devastate with the bypass.Take your place by the roadside to wave him on his way. Though groupies will not be encouraged, there is a chance that he will sign copies of 'Highway Construction & Maintenance' at selected locations for his fans. The tour's secret last date is at Number 8 Back Moor, where JW will play before a select, invite-only audience of his biggest fans.
'Councillor' Brocklehurst at the Public Inquiry (again)
2007-07-14 23:16:00 Still with Day #5 of the Public Inquiry, there's no point in talking about the boorish figure of Duncan Hollows (Siege) and his babblings apart from a priceless quote he awarded us - "I have not got the ability to foresee the future, so I am not omniscient" (page 52, line 13). Yes indeed, he is not God. Glad that's cleared up.The best bit of the day is reserved for Joyce Brocklehurst, someone who we've talked about before, with particular reference to her contradictory calls for less traffic and more Industrial Development for Tintwistle.But hang on - why does the Inquiry Programme call her 'Councillor'? She used to be, but now she's a Parish Councillor, and she admits as much, but has to point out she held this post for 16 years. 16 long, long years. And it's all over now. Shame that.She's against public transport - "I do not think public transport is a good option for our area" (page 57, line 15). Well, I'm sorry but IT HAS TO BE. Private car ownership and the complete su...
Lies, damned lies and statistics
2007-07-11 22:02:00 More nuggets from Day #5 were amongst the supporting statement of Patrick Jenner. He illustrates more contradictions in bypass supporters' arguments, this time from the perspective of Tintwistle Parish Council in an exchange with John Watson (page 15, line 19 onwards):(Jenner) The need for a Bypass came top of the list, giving a clear indication of village feelings.Q. Well, it is top of the list in the sense that that is where you have put it, but it got slightly fewer votes than keeping the Post Office, did it not?A. Yes. They were near enough on par.Q. Yes, that is right.A. Second to the keeping of Post Office, yes.Q. Yes.A. A need for Bypass came top of the list as far as we are concerned, but on them statistics it came second.So that's OK then...But then, he's rumbled. John Watson clearly points out that his survey is on Derbyshire CC headed notepaper (page 30, lines 9-16). Oh dear:Q. You have used Derbyshire County Council headed paper to tell people about the survey that y...
Hypocrites
2007-07-11 21:44:00 All we ever hear from Longdendale Siege is how 'outsiders' are responsible for most of the opposition to this bypass. It's a huge part of their argument, that local people all want the bypass. So who do they run to drum up another petition? Motorists stuck in traffic queues. And where are they from? Well, once again, Siege supporter Arthur Stanway on the transcript from Day #5 of the Public Inquiry shows us (lines 17-22, page 9):Q. Thank you. Just a further thought: so you collected the signatures from people passing in cars?A. That is correct.Q. So were these all local people?A. No, no, these were people coming from outside the village. They are from all over.Not local!
John Watson smells a rat...
2007-07-10 21:22:00 Day 2 of the PI, and he's rumbled Tameside. A priceless quote from John Watson (p.94, line 22):There seems to be a large rodent operating in the corner?Some of us have been smelling a rat for years, but there you go...Day 2 was a day marred by sound problems and John Watson's rapidly diminishing temper. You would have thought these problems would have been ironed out by now, but many people pointed out back in May that a large open space with a stone floor doesn't lend itself to good acoustics. It's not unreasonable to wonder whether this is deliberate, especially as someone from the floor pointed out (p.23 line 25) on the day that Hyde Town Hall has excellent acoustics.
'Public Inquiry: Day 1' Channel M news report
2007-06-29 21:03:00 Chris Woodward? Since when was he a 'talking head' - although he does try to get himself into the Glossop Chronicle at every opportunity, now he's for the bypass. Ever the opportunist.
"The light is on but nothing is happening..."*
2007-06-29 20:27:00 Being the words of the Highways Agency Barrister, Charles Calvert, during the opening day of the Public Inquiry last Tuesday, it's a phrase that could not be more apt.It has been widely reported elsewhere, but the Highways Agency had the gall to admit that not only had they failed to submit a huge amount of documents by the statutory deadline, but that they had issued an Errata document to those they had already submitted that was 169 pages in length.Calls for an adjournment were heeded by John Watson, though not as far as would have been desirable (and might have been achievable if the PDNPA and Natural England had showed some solidarity). The Highways Agency bleated that they need the current timetable because "their staff had booked holidays"! What tactical mischief is at play here? And how revealing was it that TMBC agreed with objectors that an adjournment to September would be OK? Some kind of game are afoot ...This Inquiry is bound to produce only one result. That much is cl...
Public Inquiry Premonitions...
2007-05-23 22:08:00 Today's Guardian carried an interesting item on the progress on the Thames Gateway Bridge Public Inquiry.The assistant Inspector at this PI is John Watson. It seems that despite the fact that the Inspector has yet to issue his report, and the Secretary of State yet to make a decision subsequent to that, Transport for London can't wait, and are putting tenders out already (Cue press releases to the appropriate publications and much excitement, particularly here).Welcome to the world of Design, Build, Finance & Operate (DBFO). The battle lines drawn in the 90s are being drawn again.It seems that days after Ruth Kelly's announcement that the government intends in future not to consider Public Inquiries for 'infrastructure projects' and thereby tear up the 1947 planning act, those without any illusions about how things work anyway can't contain their glee.You can expect similar developments about the bypass machinations to be reported here, as and when they arise.
New documents on the Public Inquiry website
2007-05-17 23:32:00 TMBC have published their Environmental Statement (ES) on the Public Inquiry website.The ES covers the 'Glossop Spur' only and it's nearly 2 years old already. As we've pointed out previously, there is no ES for the 'Bypass & Spur', since that scheme does not actually exist, other than in the minds of John Watson and the Secretary of State.It will be interesting to see how this 'mashup' plays out at the PI
Meat & Potatoes
2007-05-10 22:00:00 At last, the respective cases case for the Longdendale Bypass & Glossop Spur have been published today. The Highways Agency Statement of Case can be found here and here, and the TMBC Statement of Case here (all links open PDFs).It should be noticed that these are not 'proofs of evidence' which the HA openly admitted may not be submitted by the deadline. TMBC could also not give a firm commitment to having their evidence ready in time. The deadline is 5th June (3 weeks before the start of the Inquiry) - we await it with baited breath.
At last, somebody fed the slot meter...
2007-05-09 19:39:00 ...on Persona's ISP yesterday morning. Subsequently, the Pre-Inquiry Meeting notes and transcript of the day are now available (both links download PDF).
Problem loading page
2007-05-06 22:40:00 Who smells a rat? For the past few days, activists have been trying to access the Public Inquiry website, in particular to find out if the minutes from Tuesday's Pre-Inquiry Meeting are available yet. Try it and this is what you get:We know it's a bank holiday weekend, but this is ridiculous. And the same goes for anyone else who's having their Public Inquiry managed by this crew because the whole site is down.Whilst we're hardly likely to point out that it's a conspiracy that one can't access the site, it certainly suits those in favour of the scheme.Objectors are still unclear about exactly what they have to do to ensure their objections are valid for the PI, and at the same time we are all receiving confusing & intimidating letters from the Highway Agency with their own instructions.And for the cynical amongst us, it begs the question exactly what kind of result we can expect to result from this whole charade when the consultants are incompetent and the Inspector's whole c...
Post Inquiry Meltdown...
2007-05-02 22:11:00 Yesterday was a rather ominous portent of things to come in this campaign. It's easier to make a list of the issues and comment on them:An Inspector seemingly out of his depth - unaware of crucial aspects of law such as PPS7 (calling it 'PPS5'), clearly inexperienced and without an assistant to help. Less than firm with the Highways Agency who had the gall to admit they might miss a (statutory) deadline for submission of their evidence. Expressed only mild dissatisfaction that Inquiry Libraries were at either end of the bypass (Stocksbridge & Stalybridge) and nowhere near those most affected by the scheme - Mottram, Hollingworth, Tintwistle & Glossop (the Highways Agency showing their utter contempt for those of us who want to do research, both for and against the scheme). He clearly reads this blog though, because he declined to sign copies of his book!Unsuitable venue - a large old stone-floored market hall. Appalling acoustics. Much time wasted passing around a microphone...
The public inquiry - sham science?
2007-05-01 10:20:00 © %FIRST - get over to the plooptionary for more glass half empty content.
By: plooptionary
The Highways Agency & your 'Statement of Case'
2007-04-30 20:42:00 Those of us who have objected to the bypass should by now have received a letter from the Highways Agency which asks you to provide a "statement of case by the 15th of June" which you "propose to put forward at the Public Inquiry".Firstly - Don't Panic! You do not have to appear in person if you do not wish to. Your objection remains an objection unless you withdraw it - DO NOT DO THIS & do not be intimidated into thinking you have to do anything else at all.But if you are willing to come along to the Pre-Inquiry Meeting tomorrow and want to speak at the Public Inquiry itself later on, then you will have a chance to say so. The more people that do this, the better. It's important that the strength of feeling is known (for what it's worth). It could seriously clog things up, and more delays, means less chance of funding for the scheme if the HA win (if, like me, you're cynical and think this thing is all sewn up).If you want to speak at the Public Inquiry, but can't make it, the...
Public Inquiry & Private Eye
2007-04-28 15:30:00 The public inquiry that is now set to continue on 13th June 2007 concerning the block of flats Crest Nicholson & Luminus are planning to build on the old Cambridge University Press site. Anyway we all know why John Hipkin was really sacked because he wanted, really wanted to make sure there would be provision for families - heaven forbid we want 3 or 4 bedroom affordable houses! Covered in Private Eye, how cool is that..?
By: RendsWorld
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