Your Fight!

Hope you had an opportunity to have a holiday this summer. Most of us did hence little activity over the July / August. Here is an update of activities planned through the next two to three months. Please get involved as this is YOUR fight !!

June's County Council By-Election

June’s County Council by-election has sent a clear message that the voters of Chilwell are not prepared to tolerate the current tram proposals. Remember that the decision-makers are elected politicians – they rely on your support to keep their jobs. To help share the load of letter writing, a number of Councillors’ addresses are listed below. We urge you to write to them letting them know your viewpoint. Please could you all write to:-

Rt Hon John Spellar MP, Minister for Transport, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR. Tel: 020 7944 8300; Fax: 020 7944 6589; E-mail: john.spellar@dft.gsi.gov.uk

Letter To County Councillors

BCBRA Chairman, Steve Willoughby, has sent each County Councillor a letter outlining our concerns about the financial issues surrounding this project. Further letters will follow based on each of the government criteria that the tram must meet in order to be deemed viable. Copies of this and future letters can be obtained from The Art and Craft Centre on the corner of Imperial Road and the High Road.

Alternative Route News

A proposed alternative route through Chilwell via Toton Lane, the Co-op (soon to be Tesco), Chilwell Meadows Retail Park and Bye-Pass Road has been shown to fail to meet the necessary cost-benefit ratio required by government by 15 per cent. The independent report commissioned by NET estimates that journeys would be 10 minutes longer than the official route and that it will cost an additional £33-36 million to build.

A detailed survey has started on the Richmond Court / Gwenbrook route. There are some technical issues to be looked at on this route. What happens if these cannot be resolved? Would Cator Lane once again be the route option? In the mean time a route from the High Street to Fletcher road has still not been found, or not yet been put in the public domain by NET. Yet, they continue to press for funding and county council approval.

Meetings

Neil Bates and members of Broxtowe and County Councils met with members of BCBRA to look at outline plans for the High Road between Grove Avenue and Imperial Road. Main points show demolition for car parking of large blocks of buildings: Box of Delights to Charcoal and the Christian Bookshop up to (but not including) The Chequers.

Mick Warner – Nottingham County Council

The main committee and representatives of our sub-committees are arranging to meet with Mick in the next 6–8 weeks. If you have a specific question or questions for this meeting, e-mail av@themail.co.uk or write to Paul Green at the Art and Craft Centre. Please include your name and a reply address/e-mail.

Noise

Dr Ross Coles, a renowned expert in the field of acoustic research, is working with BCBRA and BCT (Better Community Transport) to provide noise assessments that match the criteria being used by NET’s independent consultants. We have contributed £350.00 to Dr Coles to help pay for the equipment he needs to do this. These statistics will be invaluable if we go to a public enquiry.

Hellos and Goodbyes

John Hardwick, who has been of great help to the BCBRA, is leaving due to personal commitments. Bill Pavlidis has joined the team and will work with Tony Kirk to put together a survey of the current local patronage of the bus service. To help with this, contact 8772773 evenings.

Money

We still rely on financial support to print newsletters, posters and to support research. If you wish to donate again or for the first time, cheques made payable to BCBRA may be handed in at either the Art and Craft Centre or at Fiesta on the High Road.

List Of Councillors