This year will probably see the commencement of work on the BNRR. This will see the full force of corporate, environmental vandalism destroy 27 miles of the West Midlands Green Belt. It will also see huge numbers of people waking up to the destruction that has been planned for their area. Not only will the BNRR be a corridor of movement but many from the business community want to make it a corridor of growth. That will mean more development opportunities opening up for more green belt development. We along with local residents will continue to highlight the folly of the BNRR and oppose green belt developments along the route. We have seen the first spats in what will become local arguments about the construction of the road. In early January a proposed caravan park for construction workers was turned down on green belt grounds!!!
In our last issue we highlighted the construction companies and banks who are involved in the scheme. We are continuing to develop this campaign in terms of people closing accounts and buying shares with a view to attending the AGM of Abbey National and one or more of the construction companies.
Since that newsletter Lloyds TSB have reappeared on the scene in that they are trying to take over the Abbey National - firstly in a friendly manner and, when that was rejected, increasingly but not publicly in an hostile way. If any of you have accounts with Lloyds TSB - or indeed shares - please can you write to them explaining the problems with the BNRR. We have loads of briefing sheets and flyers from past actions here at the Warehouse if you need further help in writing a letter.
Lloyds TSB can be contacted at 71 Lombard Street, London, EC3P 3BS 020 7626
1500 . If they do indeed take over Abbey National we could repeat the West Midlands
Green Belt funeral on their account. Please do send us any replies that you receive
as this helps us to monitor what the different organisations are saying.
The new aspect to this ongoing campaign against the BNRR has received national
press coverage in the Sunday Express and the Ethical Consumer magazine. So please
do keep the pressure up as we can still win many of our campaign objectives in
terms of discrediting this method of financing and building new infrastructure
across the U.K.
We will also be seeing another General Election and, surprise - despite everything New Labour have done to build this road there is the great prospect that come May 3rd the road will be no nearer completion than when they came to power in 1997. New Labour had promised not to build the BNRR but in less that 3 months of taking the reins of Government they had performed their infamous first U-turn and betrayed the people of the West Midlands and their constituents alike. Come polling day 2001 the BNRR may take a few more political scalps as it has done in local by-elections and at other general elections.
For more information please call Karen Leach 0121 632 6909
Sally Caley