10th January 2019
Bypass noise mitigation: BCC Assurance
BCC have been asked to give assurances to Wendover PC that the vLNS or the LNS option will be funded into the future. This funding will be essential to meet the cost of the frequent resurfacing that is need if the “life expectancy” claims made during the consultation is to be made real. BCC have refused to give any such assurance.
Other News
We met Jeremy Lefroy MP last month. He is an on route MP with a major viaduct in his constituency. He is aligned with us and said he would write to the PM and Nusrat Ghani, to press them on HS2 costs.
David Lidington is a bit busy, I can’t think why. We’re attempting, through him, to get one more meeting with DfT where they go head to head with our tunnelling expert Dave Hindle (DH) from OTB. DfT are pushing back on this one so, if you can find the time to write to Nusrat Ghani again, please ask her to meet us.
DL is chasing after technical reports which we believe shows that DfT are looking at the wrong tunnel and not our Cheaper, Quicker, Simpler one. Lord Berkeley asked in the HofL for these reports to be placed in the Library of the House. DfT refused so DL’s intervention is important.
Dominic Grieve MP is meeting us in January. His take on the technical report saga will be invaluable.
In December’s Wendover News you will see that David Lidington supports our view on the A413 and the ‘strangling’ effect of the proposed viaduct design. HS2, Bucks CC and AVDC seem to believe that no matter how many tens of thousands of houses are built in the Vale and beyond that the A413 is good enough. More letters might help with this.
We have discovered that BCC, thus Bucks Council Tax payers, are currently carrying the substantial cost risk of work that County is doing to mitigate HS2. For Wendover that’s things like designing the noise mitigation and the cycleway. Knowing HS2’s apparent reputation as poor payers I’m neither surprised or comfortable with this knowledge.
Tom Walsh
Chairman of Wendover Parish Council