CAMPAIGNERS SUCCESS but the fight goes on.
An amalgamation of environmental pressure groups has been successful in opposing a £25million flyover near the green belt land Wessex Fields off Riverside Avenue, Bournemouth.
The pressure groups, Friends of the Earth, Friends of Riverside and some independent BCP councillors all helped the current coalition council change its mind after the former Conservative led council gave it the go ahead.
However, plans to develop the site adjacent to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital are still in discussion with mixed feelings from campaigners.
Friends of the Earth member Soo Chapman is alarmed, she said: “It’s all ridiculous, we don’t need any more roads, they are just lying to us pretending we’ve got a carbon budget, no we haven’t.”
She says that it is within a green belt flood plain, will destroy wildlife, there will be loss of biodiversity and traffic noise affecting hospital patients.’
Local pressure group ‘Friends of Riverside’ who in the past have successfully campaigned to stop the Cooper dean flyover, were delighted with the decision to scrap the planned flyover and the Conservative backed office block.
Conner O’Luby said that it was partly luck because the council changed but also claimed credit for their rigorous campaigning.
He explained: “We managed to get hundreds of people writing letters to object to the local planning application.
He added: “They might not have felt confident about saying we don’t want this flyover, but they said look how many people are against it, so that was confirming.”
He also spoke out against the new planned slip road: “We don’t want to encourage more road building.”
Cllr Felicity Rice (Alliance for Local Living) who campaigned with Friends of Riverside, said she is aware of a lot of environmental concerns and she opposed the flyover and the new development.
Cllr Simon Bull (Green Party) said: “Whenever you build a road it eases the traffic a bit, but they soon fill up again then you end up in a worse place.”
Despite being environmentalists, some campaigners appear to have accepted the coalition council’s decision to make plans for the new development, although with certain conditions.
Christine O’Luby of Friends of the Riverside said of the slip road: That is OK because that doesn’t go into the Wessex Fields.”
Professor Ms Chris Shiel, of Bournemouth University said: “The development might bring benefits that outweigh the negatives.”
She added that it would be ok if sustainability were considered.
Felicity Rice is more concerned with transport being more sustainable and said the council are placing heavy emphasis on being able to get sustainable transport and not focusing on private car use.
She asked: “Can it be zero carbon ones in terms of its energy.”
She went on to criticise the Government, which she implies has tied the council’s hands. She said: “There is potential if the Government wants to lead on this and pay the council funding that they need to transform how everybody is moving about.”
Simon Bull said it is always a shame to go into green belt land but said: “Potentially it could be a good site. Depends partlyon what it is used for.”
Some of the potential uses being discussed are: The positioning of the road; better traffic management; solar panels; biodiversity and accommodation with access for hospital staff.
Cllr Felicity Rice said: “It is about working together. Workingwith the hospital and talking about how everybody from the hospital, like their staff, get to and from work.”
