As you have read, the Government called in the Eastern Westbury Bypass scheme for a full inquiry.

'It is good news for all who want the right transport solution for Westbury and surrounding communities', said Pat Kinnersly of the A36/A350 Corridor Alliance, a coalition of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Campaign for Better Transport, the Friends of the Earth and the Westbury Bypass Alliance, which since further expanded, to object to the eastern A350 bypass scheme at the inquiry, as the White Horse Alliance.

The decision meant that Wiltshire County Council could not give itself planning permission for its road, as it had hoped to do in the summer of 2007.   The Government issued an Article 14 Direction on 21 June 2007, preventing Wiltshire County Council from doing so.   Wiltshire Council's planning application was called in, due to potential conflict with UK policies.   A public planning inquiry into the scheme was put in place.

This decision was welcome news to the area's MP, Dr Andrew Murrison, and the MEP, Graham Watson.
Both had asked the Secretary of State to order an independent inquiry.

The inspectors have been able to hear a full range of evidence, including the concerns of parish councils north and west of Westbury where heavy lorry traffic would be increased by an eastern A350 bypass.

West Ashton and Yarnbrook have objected to the proposal, as improvements to their section of the A350 (which has the worst congestion on the A350) were dropped from the Council's A350 bypass plan in 2003.

Wiltshire Council's own forecasts show that HGV traffic through Yarnbrook would be increased by over 40%. Communities such as Southwick also opposed the eastern bypass, because of predicted HGV flow increases.

The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust also asked the Government to order a planning inquiry into the bypass, because of concerns over its impact on a wide range of rare and endangered wildlife species which have the highest level of protection under UK and European law.   National environmental organisations and their local groups, including CPRE, Campaign for Better Transport and Friends of the Earth, objected to the adverse impact the road would have on the protected landscape below the Westbury White Horse and on the protected wildlife and water resources of the tranquil Wellhead Valley, between the town and the edge of the Salisbury Plain.

The Westbury Bypass Alliance welcomed the Government decision, on behalf of the more than a thousand individual objectors to the eastern bypass route.   The WBA and Wiltshire CPRE commissioned and paid for independent wildlife studies, which confirmed the presence of dormice on the route of the road and helped to show that more research was needed on the exceptional populations of bats which would be effected.

The EU Habitats Directive and UK Habitats Regulations of 1994 require a developer to show that there are 'imperative reasons of overriding public interest' for building a road which might endanger protected species. The developer must show that there is no satisfactory alternative to its road scheme.  The ACA said that the eastern bypass scheme (as designed by Wiltshire Council and its partners) could not pass these tests.

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust said that WCC's bat gantries and dormouse rope bridges were likely to be ineffective, calling these ideas 'a leap of faith that is not supported by a reasonable extrapolation of the evidence'.

The A36/A350 Corridor Alliance explained that it formally warned Wiltshire County Council that it risked a legal challenge if it tried to give itself planning permission.  The ACA letter was not brought to the attention of the councillors on the WCC regulatory committee considering WCC's planning application on 16 May 2007. So the ACA letter was sent on to the Government, which agreed with us and all of the other organisations or individuals who asked for a full public inquiry into this scheme.   The inspectors heard all points of view. Planning permission for the eastern bypass scheme was turned down.   We hope that it will ultimately lead to an integrated solution which will meet the needs of the whole area, without damaging our environment.

Further Notes:

* Wiltshire (County) Council had hoped to start building its eastern bypass in 2008 and to open it in 2010.

* Wiltshire (County) Council had hoped to snatch funds intended for better schemes.   It has totally failed.

* In January '07, W(C)C bought in 'early contractor involvement' with civil engineering company Osborne.

* Wiltshire Council, consultants Mouchel Parkman and contractors Osborne style themselves as partners.

* By Autumn '07, WCC had over-spent the annual fee budget on its Westbury Bypass scheme by £0.25M.

* By Autumn '08, WCC had spent over £4M in developing and promoting its eastern A350 bypass scheme
- though this is not shown in our council tax bills.   Some £5M has now been spent on it - and all wasted.

* Estimates for the eastern bypass scheme had gone up from £9M, to £14M, to £33M, to £38M - and rising.

* The WC eastern bypass scheme was glibly ignoring the impending crises of climate change and oil scarcity - also Government policies which call for transport integration and an end to planning for car-dependency.

* Government funding for the road depended on the Council overcoming all environmental issues, obtaining planning approval and satisfying the Department for Transport that a £38M+ price was any value for money.

* With planning permission now ruled against by independent inspectors, there will be no eastern bypass.