Highways Agency Admits to Further Errors -- Campaigners say "Enough is Enough"

7th Noveber 2007 -- for immediate release

The Public Inquiry into the A57/A628 Mottram-Tintwistle Bypass resumed
yesterday. Objectors returned after an eight week break, expecting the
Highways Agency to provide details of the changes to their evidence and the
scheme impacts as a consequence of errors in the traffic model that were
uncovered in early September. However, the Highways Agency admitted that
they have since discovered further "anomalies" and are not sure how these
will affect the evidence they have submitted so far and what changes will
need to be made.

Local campaigners expressed dismay at this turn of events. Emma Lawrence,
speaking for the Save Swallow's Wood [1] campaign (objectors to the scheme),
said:

"An enormous amount of time and money has been wasted since the Inquiry
began in June. The Environmental Statement had already been revised twice
(once in February 2007 and then again in July this year) since it first
published in 2006, and this was to be the third time. Now the Highways
Agency say they will have to do the whole thing--all their evidence, all our
evidence, and that of all the other objectors' and supporters is not worth
the paper it's written on. Are they hoping it will be fourth time lucky!?
The Inquiry is a real mess and is becoming something of joke, albeit a very
drawn out and expensive one."

The Inquiry will resume on December 18th, when objectors and supporters will
return to hear details of the errors that have been found and the impacts on
the Inquiry going forward. Objectors anticipate that the Environmental
Statement and supporting documents (such as the Economic Impact Report) will
be republished, along with details of the errors that Highways Agency have
found and their impacts on the original Environmental Statement.

[1] Save Swallow’s Wood and Alternative Proposals for Transport are two local groups campaigning against the Mottram-Tintwistle bypass. For more information, visit http://www.saveswallowswood.org.uk

[2] All documents submitted to the Public Inquiry, latest news and daily transcripts, can be found on the Persona Associates website:
http://www.persona.uk.com/mottram/index.htm.