Wiltshire County Council's reputation sank to a fresh low with its unilateral media announcement of the date of the Westbury Bypass Inquiry.  Our County Council did not announce the Call-In of its scheme in July 2007 and has not explained to its Wiltshire residents that there has been a full Planning Inquiry.  One of Wiltshire County Council's objectives in pre-emptively announcing in January 2008 that the Westbury Bypass Inquiry was expected to start in April 2008 was to keep up a false impression that its dud project was progressing.

Six months notice is usually given before the start of any major planning inquiry, in order to give all parties the time to commission expert advisors etc.   Obviously, all parties had been aware of an intended planning inquiry since July '07, but only Wiltshire County Council had the resources (funded by Wiltshire tax payers) to have all of its experts, plus an early-involvement management contractor, plus WCC's many consultants, on retainers and engaged and available at all times.

The Planning Inspectorate had made no announcement.  The Planning Inspectorate in Bristol originally said that the date for the inquiry was yet to be confirmed, but subsequently was in effect ready to whitewash over Wiltshire County Council's cunning pre-emptive manoeuvre by backing starting the inquiry in April 2008.

However, there were in fact two main players with the Rule 6/7 Inquiry Status, ie: Wiltshire County Council, the eastern bypass promoter, and the White Horse Alliance which represents a wide collection of objectors.

Plainly, there should be equal fair treatment for everyone.   Our own observation was of relative deference towards Wiltshire County Council..., with seemingly all actual discussion being only with the County Council, leading to arrangements being made to suit WCC's requirements - with the objectors being told afterwards.

We were even told that the venue for the independent inquiry was to be Wiltshire County Council's offices.

After the White Horse Alliance challenged the one-sided choice of arrangements, there was a sea-change.

The unreasonable try-on April start date for the inquiry was postponed to 17 June 2008 by the Government. And the venue was changed to the Laverton Hall in Westbury.

Why had Wiltshire County Council now been so keen to push through the Westbury Bypass inquiry process?

The Draft South West Regional Spatial Strategy Examination in Public Panel Report, published in January '08, recommended various transport schemes for our region, inclusive of railway improvements and other roads, but does not include any Westbury Bypass.

Wiltshire County Council was delaying the Westbury Bypass Planning Inquiry, with its late circulation of its proposed CP & SR Orders and in fact by also asking the Planning Inspectorate for a delayed start for itself.

But, after reading the new SW RSS EiP Panel Report, WCC suddenly became very anxious (to the extent of issuing its pre-emptive and untrue briefing, which first appeared in the Warminster Journal of 25 January '08 in a Westbury Bypass NOW! letter) to rush the Inquiry through before the EiP Panel Report recommendations were endorsed by the Government.

Wiltshire County Council's tricky tactics failed.

Subsequent events at the Inquiry have shown that Wiltshire County Council did not have its act together.

And thanks to the adjournments brought on by Wiltshire County Council's mess-ups, the Government review of the SW RSS EiP Panel Report was considered at the Planning Inquiry.   It was a further nail in the coffin of any justification for Wiltshire County Council's Westbury Bypass project, because, just as anticipated, WCC's silly scheme is completely out of the regional transport strategy.   And now scrapped altogether.

Local people objecting to the eastern bypass scheme at the pre-inquiry meeting at County Hall.

And hardly looking like anti road-building protestors bussed in from afar.