by Garry Clarke
ORGANISERS of the protest group opposing the Western Link red route are urging residents to attend another demonstration at Warrington Town Hall next Monday (Nov 13).
“Communities United Against the Warrington Western Link” who are opposing Warrington Borough Council’s plans to build a new link road between Walton and Great Sankey, are urging all residents concerned about the Council’s plans to join them at a protest rally.
Concerned residents are requested to assemble in front of the Town Hall from 5-30pm onwards prior to the Council’s Executive Board Meeting at which the executive will vote on whether to accept the proposals for the revised red route or reject them.
The Western Link Road is integral to Warrington Borough Council’s Preferred Development Option which will see the construction of 25,000 new houses being built in the next twenty years with almost 10,000 being on existing greenbelt land.
If accepted an application will be forwarded to the Department of Transport requesting funding for the new road which will help open up areas of land for housing development and the Port of Warrington, increasing the amount of traffic on Warrington’s already congested roads and will result in the demolition of 21 properties, including the historica Sloop Inn on Liverpool Road.
The “Communities United” group will be joined by “Save Our Sloop” and other groups protesting about the council’s plans to develop the town, and after over 500 people attend a previous demonstration outside the town hall last month, Maxine Harmon founder of the “Objection Group – Warrington Preferred Development Option and TPT bypass” issued a rallying call on the group’s facebook page:
“Right Campaigners! Get your banners out again and stand together for the Warrington Western Link! Let’s keep up this momentum, keep ourselves visual, making our voices heard! I promise you this is NOT the end of our campaign!”
For anyone unable to attend on the 13th who would like to register their opposition to the Western Link an on-line petition has been set up urging HM Government and Department of Transport not to fund the Warrington Western Link route as the negative impacts to the people of Warrington would be too severe to warrant the;
– cost (at the last count £195M an increase £50M on original budget)
– disruption
– increase in traffic
– destruction of greenbelt land (areas of Morley Common and Sankey Valley Park)
The petition, which has already been signed by more than 1,200 people can be accessed at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/201008
Protesters outside the town hall – picture Paul Jackson
