I’ve just taken a most interesting and helpful telephone call from Ross Cullen at Arup regarding the Non-Motorised User (NMU) Stakeholder Engagement exercise that is currently underway. There had clearly been a breakdown of communication between Arup and the Parish Council and when things go wrong it is always tempting to think it is as a result of conspiracy when, in fact, it is nothing more than a cock-up. That’s very much the case here.
Arup had indeed sent out an invitation to participate in the NMU, intended for the Parish Council. It had been sent to the Parish Clerk’s personal email address found on the Wiltshire Council website by Arup staff, rather than the official email address for the Clerk found at the foot of every page on this website. As the email didn’t mention it was intended for the Parish Council and it wasn’t sent to the Clerk’s official email address, it was assumed to be a private email and responded to accordingly…
…so, mystery solved. A cock-up.
The good news is that Arup will take your responses to the three questions below, by phone (02920 266681), or by email (a303.stakeholders@arup.com), up until the end of March. They really want your participation to advise them. Please can we ask everyone who reads this to speak with your immediate neighbours and check that they are aware of the consultation. This will also be posted on the village noticeboard asap.
Please note that they are not just interested in how we use the footpaths and byways in the immediate vicinity of the village, but across a much wider area of countryside bounded by the red perimeter, with particular interest in those within the yellow inner perimeter – which itself stretches from Wylye to Bulford. We are aware that many horse and bike riders from the village regularly use this wider network of routes. Consequently, it’s far better for you to respond to Arup in person and directly rather than rely on the well-meaning, but narrowly-focused response that you may have received from the Campaign for the Preservation of the Southern Till Valley. The questions being asked are very straightforward and the Arup staff are being most helpful in assisting villagers to capture a whole range of issues that affect the broader A303 corridor.
If you want a high resolution PDF of the map, you can get one from here. If you don’t have email, but still want to respond electronically, either ask a Parish Councillor to help you. Otherwise use the phone line below.
Highways England is progressing its investigation into options for improving the 7.5 mile section of the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down. Our consultation on the proposed option for a tunnel past Stonehenge and a bypass north or south of Winterbourne Stoke concluded on 5 March 2017. As we consider the results of this consultation, we are also continuing our design development work.
As part of this design development work, we are collecting information to help consider the specific needs of Non-Motorised Users, considered to be pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians.
Please confirm your interest by replying to this correspondence before 13 March if you wish to contribute your views on this subject. Please note that this engagement is in addition to any response you have made to the consultation which concluded on 5 March.
Should you agree, we would like to follow up this email with a scheduled telephone conversation at your convenience. Please let us know of your contact number and a specific time that suits you within the next two weeks.
Alternatively, you can continue this correspondence via email if you prefer. To help us collect the required information, please respond to the following questions:
How do you use the current pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian facilities within the study area shown in the attached drawing? (See below)
What issues with the footpath and byway network do you consider have an impact on how you use these pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian facilities?
Do you have any other comments regarding pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian activity/facilities?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts about the above, and should you have any queries or concerns, please contact us on 02920 266681.
Yours sincerely,
Toria Thomas
AAJV Non-Motorised User Lead
A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down
The Hub, 500 Park Avenue, Aztec West, Bristol. BS32 4RZ
Email: a303.stakeholders@arup.com
Tel: 02920 266681
