The Chronicle’s actual headline was as below. We didn’t use it in our title as we don’t think Don’s comments were of any real value at that stage - let alone the thrust of the story.
MP moots Ombudsman complaint over BRT go-ahead
13:19 - 08-October-2009
Bath MP Don Foster today raised the possibility of a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman over the handling of a contentious transport package for the city.
The Government has decided not to call a public inquiry into the two key planks of the Bath Transportation Package.
There will be no public inquiry into either the Bus Rapid Transit scheme through Newbridge or the planned Bathampton Meadows Park and Ride scheme.
The Government Office for the South West today told Bath and North East Somerset Council that the applications did not raise matters of regional or national planning importance.
This means that planning permission given by the council itself for the two schemes stands.
The decision taken by GoSW on behalf of Communities Secretary John Denham is a blow to thousands of campaigners who had hoped the two applications would be called in for an inquiry to give them a fresh chance to highlight their objections to the schemes.
Tonight Liberal Democrat Mr Foster said: “I am deeply disappointed with the decision made by the Secretary of State. However, this does not change my view that processes followed by the council throughout have been seriously flawed.
“I, along with Liberal Democrat colleagues on the council, will now talk to residents to see if they wish to make a complaint to the Ombudsman.”
Mr Foster said he was concerned at the way the council had handled consultation exercises over the package - and at procedural issues such as the make-up of the B&NES development control sub-committee that approved the schemes.
“My biggest concern is that they have come to the wrong conclusion because they haven’t gone through a proper and logical process of consulting widely and coming to a decision. They made up their minds before starting the process.”
The Government office had told B&NES it wanted to have a look at the council’s decision to approve the BRT and the expansion of the existing Newbridge Park and Ride site, which formed a single planning application.
And the Bathampton scheme had to be referred to civil servants because it was a departure from the local plan document.
It took three meetings to approve the BRT, which will use an old railway line route through Newbridge and involves the compulsory purchase of dozens of parcels of land.
The council now has planning permission for every aspect of its £57.5 million Bath Transportation Package, a Government-funded programme aimed at tackling congestion and pollution which also includes less contentious schemes such as bus improvements and the expansion of park and ride sites at Odd Down and Lansdown.
The best hope for opponents now is that another set of civil servants - working for Lord Adonis’s Department for Transport in the Government Office for the North East - decide to hold a public inquiry into the four compulsory purchase orders being issued by B&NES.
That would mean the Tory-run council cannot tie up its paperwork ahead of next year’s General Election, potentially putting the vital funding into the melting pot.
In a statement, the council said today: “Bath and North East Somerset Council recognises that strong views have been expressed about the Bath Transportation Package by local residents, businesses, and community organisations. The council welcomes the Government’s decision which has balanced these views.
“This is a step forwards towards delivering the council’s joined-up plan to improve traffic congestion across the district and create a Bath city centre where pedestrians and cyclists have priority and where public transport is free to move.
“The BTP includes a more than doubling of the number of spaces at the council’s successful park and ride sites, a rapid transit route, and significantly improving the conventional bus network.
“The outstanding applications considered by the Secretary of State were the Newbridge Park and Ride expansion and Bus Rapid Transit, and the creation of a new A4 Eastern Bath Park and Ride site. Permissions will now be issued in line with the council’s development control committee decisions.”
Letters to the council from GoSW planning manager Dave Jones said: “The Secretary of State has considered carefully …. relevant planning issues raised by this proposal. He acknowledges that this application has raised issues of controversy both from the representations received by B&NES Council and those persons who have taken the trouble to write directly to him.
“However, he is satisfied that the planning issues raised do not relate to matters of more than local importance or amount to regional or national controversy, which would be more appropriately decided by him rather than the local planning authority.
“He has therefore concluded that the application should be decided by B&NES Council.”
Newbridge councillor Caroline Roberts (Lib Dem, Newbridge) said the decision was the wrong one.:
“This decision will be a massive blow to residents who have fought the BRT proposal every step of the way. The Conservative council wouldn’t listen to sense and now the Government is going along with it. This is the wrong decision for Bath and paves the way for an unnecessary and unworkable new road scheme.”
One campaigner opposed to the Bathampton scheme said: “This decision comes as no surprise, as this is the way that the whole affair has been handled from day one, when they surveyed 201 people - which you’d probably think is not quite enough.
“It’s a great pity as thousands and thousands of Bath residents - east to west have submitted objections.
“Over the last year, a lot of people have been using whatever mechanisms available, to extract information from the council, and some of it would make Chronicle readers’ hair curl - it’s no surprise that they don’t want this out in the open in the form of a public inquiry