News

Online and Onboard: URGENT – 1. Non-Motorised User Stakeholder Engagement 2. Wiltshire Council Cabinet Papers

1. Non-Motorised User Stakeholder Engagement

The following email should have been sent to the Parish Council two weeks ago.  The Chairman was sent a copy of it by a private individual whilst away in the north of England last week and had phoned Arup to find out why ALL villagers weren’t being consulted.  We heard only last night (thanks to another email being forwarded to us by a villager!), that this should have happened!  Apologies for Arup’s error.

Please, please try and respond to this asap – given the date, email is probably best to: a303.stakeholders@arup.com   or you could try calling them on 02920 266681

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.

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, either ask a Parish Councillor to help you, or write to Toria Thomas at the address 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

2. Wiltshire Council Cabinet Papers

Yesterday, the Chairman attended the Wiltshire Council Cabinet meeting and spoke of the concerns of the Parish Council regarding the lack of detailed information that had been provided to the public to advise them of the differences between the two schemes.   Cllr Ian West attended and spoke in his capacity as the Wiltshire Councillor for the Till and Wylye Valley division.   The Campaign for the Preservation of the Southern Till Valley were also represented and spoke.

It is clear, from the papers published by Wiltshire Council in advance of the meeting, that they share at least some of the concerns raised by the Parish Council regarding the dearth of high quality information. – saying:

“Whilst it is recognised that the design proposals are still at a very early stage in the development process, it is necessary for further information to be made available to the Council in order for it to fully assess the proposals. Therefore, the Council should retain the ability to refine its position once the additional information is available.”

It is interesting to note that Wiltshire Council do not seem to believe the route selection process ends in July 2017, rather that is when it begins.  See the two following links for further details:

A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down Road Scheme(1) Enc. 1 for A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down Road Schemes

Winterbourne Stoke Parish Council