UPDATE: September 16, 2019
Welcome to our latest newsletter and apologies for the radio silence. There has been a lot happening and keeping us busy over the last few weeks. So there’s plenty to update you on, in terms of news, and also the ways in which you can help to fight the Expressway, stop the destruction in its tracks, and make us stronger together.
Actions
We need your help now! Please sign-up here for up to the minute news and updates and to help us get information to you quickly around consultation time.
As well as keeping you informed of what’s happening, by signing up and adding your name to our mailing list, you are helping to show just how many people support this cause. This will be a crucial tool in persuading politicians to see sense. So, the more the merrier, to coin a phrase!
We urgently need to raise funds to run our campaign and to pay for political consultants and planning experts for our campaign. We must not wait. The time is now
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What’s new
Highways England Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Update
Highways England (HE) have finally provided us with a list of parties they sent NDA’s to and who’s signed them, after we asked for a review of their original response to our Freedom of Information Request. HE asked organisations to sign NDA’s to it could discuss route options
Those that signed are England’s Economic Heartland (EEH), HS2, Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council (DC), Vale of White Horse DC, Milton Keynes Council. But Buckinghamshire County Council and Aylesbury Vale DC refused to sign
Why didn’t HE want Cherwell DC’s input? Corridor B1/B3 goes through Cherwell
Why did Cllr Martin Tett, Leader of Bucks County Council, who told the Brill meeting that he had refused to sign an NDA because he didn’t want to keep things from us, fail to mention that England’s Economic Heartland (of which he is Chair) has signed an NDA?
Why do businesses involved in Local Enterprise Partnerships (part of EEH) get to see and feedback on route options, when the general public doesn’t so far?
AVDC motion to oppose the Ox-Cam Expressway
Aylesbury Vale District Council will be debating and voting on a motion to oppose the Ox-Cam Expressway at their council meeting on 18th September. Are you in AVDC? Contact your councillor to tell them your view
NEG activities
It’s been a busy time since our last update, with the NEG travelling pagoda visiting Brill Festival, Brill British Legion and Village Fete, Marsh Gibbon Beer Festival and Chearsley Classic and Vintage Fun day
We have also presented Islip, Chearsley Village and Winslow Town meetings. With the Winslow event attracting >250 people, with useful contacts made and requests for further presentations
Weston-on-the-Green and The Claydons now have “Under Threat” signs, with more to go up in Brill and Islip. If your village doesn’t yet have any, please get in touch
Stronger Together - NEG meets regularly with local groups to make our campaign stronger.
Both Chearsley and Worminghall Parish Councils have just completed surveys of their communities to establish their views on the proposed expressway and growth Arc. Is this something your PC could do?
We’ve started discussions about how to mobilise our local communities for upcoming election and consultation
Registering as a stakeholder
If anyone is still experiencing issues registering as a stakeholder with Highways England, either as an individual or as a group, please let us know here.
What’s next
We now have great “Say NOEXPRESSWAY.ORG, #stopthedestruction” campaign t-shirts. We need to set up our website so people can buy these to help us raise funds for the campaign.
Continue to update our noexpressway.org website, add news and drive traffic to NEG page on Facebook, and put up new signs as and when requested.
Fundraising – Please donate here!
Find details of all upcoming events here!
Sincere thanks go to all those who’ve organised events and meetings for NEG to attend
In particular, in Winslow – Deborah Lovatt of BEAG, Mary Hunt & her team, Chearsley – John Howard & his team, Islip – Peter Collins & his team and in Brill – Marcia Davis, Judith Longman & Emi Slater and all others involved in both Brill events.
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.