UPDATE: October 28, 2019
This week sees more of what feels like political shenanigans. A group of developers (the only people set to benefit from the Expressway) are trying to bypass planning laws and sidestep public scrutiny. Meanwhile Chair of Cherwell District Council, Barry Wood, (also Chair is the Arc Leaders Group!) whilst referring to us and fellow campaigners as “the Son of Project Fear” (rattled are you, Barry?) stopped CDC from voting on whether to oppose the Expressway, with motion that they should keep an “open mind” until the route options are announced. Isn’t this NIMBYism of the highest order? It can only mean one thing - he's worried and we are indeed stronger together. So, let’s keep up momentum!
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What’s new (for full details click here)
Cherwell District Council (CDC) motions on Ox-Cam Expressway
21st October, CDC Council passed Cllr Barry Wood’s motion for Council officers to review the impact on local plans of route options once known. Until this is completed the motion asked for CDC to “maintain an open mind” about the Expressway. Under CDC Constitution rules (which don’t allow debates on further motions on the same topic if a first motion is approved), the more substantive motion proposed by Cllr Tyson, calling on the Government to cancel the expressway and to support rail connectivity, could not be debated. This was a missed opportunity for CDC to debate the expressway in principle. Wherever it goes, the expressway will cause tremendous environmental damage. Is CDC happy to see such damage as long as it’s not in CDC?
Cllr Barry Wood said that there are some “'son of project fear' scare stories about what the Oxford to Cambridge arc will actually mean in real life". We think he may have been talking about us sharing information that our Councillors and Highways England have not. Well, we think the scale of environmental destruction from the proposed Expressway and one million more homes is something to be truly scared about!
“Radical Regeneration Manifesto” to “depoliticise discussion around regeneration”
Bidwells (property consultants), Perkins and Will (global architects) and Blackstock (property PR consultancy) say they have brought together 25 “built environment industry leaders with assets totalling over £50 billion", and have this week launched their “Radical Regeneration Manifesto”
They say they want to “think big about UK regeneration” across the country, starting with the Ox-Cam Arc
They want special planning and compulsory purchase powers to speed up planning… they say they want to “get the politicians out of the planning process.” … yes our democratically elected officials, who don’t always get things right, but are answerable to us! Do they want us out of planning too? Sounds like it!
Also in the news
In an Oxon Conservative Party Survey, members are asked to say they’re in favour of both the Expressway and East West Rail link or against both. No choice for rail not road! Are any other parties or areas getting a similarly poorly worded survey?
The PM is to chair a new cabinet committee on climate change to drive action to cut emissions across the government. However, Greenpeace noticed the policy details that mean there’s an 18 year lag in the Government facing any fines for missing any targets. That’s quite some loophole!
NEG activities
We have started filming Expressway Stories 3, at Wotton House. We hope this one will be as good as our first two Expressway Stories!!
We continue the awareness-raising campaign, with presentations at a SPADE/Sunningwell meeting and a local villages’ meeting in Horton-cum-Studley. Thanks go to all who ran the fantastic fund raiser in Marsh Gibbon.
What’s next
Continue working with the Stronger Together group and working on a programme of activities for schools
Continue work to improve content on our website and drive traffic to our Facebook page.
We urgently need your help.
Your donations are needed now, to help us run the campaign and pay for political consultants and other professional experts to bring this campaign to the attention of Westminster as well as local politicians.
No Expressway Group believes there is no need for an Oxford-Cambridge Expressway, nor the over-inflated housing targets associated with it, and we will actively campaign against it and support other organisations with the same objectives.
Our environment is a national asset which is critical for everyone’s health and well-being. We must not let it be destroyed.
Your donations help us to spread information about the Expressway, run and build support for the campaign:
£10 could pay for one roadside Correx poster
£15 could pay for one roadside poster on a wooden stake
£20 could pay for one A1 printed colour poster for our pagoda display
£35 could pay for 250 A5 printed leaflets for the campaign
£70 could pay for one pole and two panels for our travelling pagoda display
£150 could pay for one feather flag for our travelling pagoda
£180 could pay to run this website for one year
£300 could pay for a 3 minutes of an Expressway Story
£500 could pay for a 5 minutes of an Expressway Story
A greater or other amount could contribute to the cost of professional support for our campaign in general and in preparation for Planning Inspectorate hearings
Please note:
The No Expressway Group has a group bank account to which the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are signatories. The group will publish accounts on noexpressway.org each year which will be audited by an accountant from outside the NEG group.
If any funds are left at the end of the campaign, these will be donated equally between RSPB and BBOWT.