RPG Update
The most significant thing to report is that the responses to the document have
been huge mainly due to the introduction of the western bypasses and associated
link road through the Black Country.
In all there have been about 6200 responses, amounting to some 10,000 individual
comments - unprecedented for any previous RPG apparently. The vast majority
relate to transport proposals (by implication the great majority of those are
about the Western Bypasses). There are over 5900 responses from individuals
and 284 from organisations, of which a third are from the public sector, 20%
from the private sector and 40% from the voluntary sector.
The other issue is that they have introduced four sub-regions as follows:
A) Birmingham/Black Country
B) Coventry/Solihull/Warwickshire
C) Rural West (Worcestershire, and the Marches - West Shropshire/Hereford) and
D) North (East Shropshire/Telford & Wrekin/South Staffordshire, and North &
East Staffordshire/Stoke-on-Trent).
These four sessions of the EiP will take place on 3rd and 4th July. The EIP will
commence on 11th June 2002 and will be held at the Copthorne Hotel Birmingham
City Centre.
The day for the western bypasses is the 28th June but as yet no plans have been
made for the EiP to move to the sub regions nor even open for an evening session
to allow the public to witness the ongoing of these proceedings. West Midlands
FOE has asked for these issues to be addressed by the panel secretary and its
chair. More on the EiP and the RPG from Chris.
And it's so long from him and hello to her!
Peter White, long time coordinator of Solihull FOE, is moving on to pastures
new and so will be handing over the reins to Stella Jarman.
Welcome Stella and a big thank you to Peter who has got stuck into plenty of
issues in the town despite the outrageous behaviour of the local authority with
respect to the Green Belt.
He's not moving far, mind, so maybe - just maybe - after he has settled in to
his new surroundings we may see the re-emegence of a FOE presence in the Bromsgrove
area!!! Only joking Pete but you do know the number...
Chris Crean et al