Skip to content or view screen version

Victory in Arundel!

porkbolter | 09.07.2003 19:08 | Ecology | Free Spaces | London

A famous victory has today been won by the campaign to halt the second Arundel bypass in West Sussex.

At the last minute, and against all expectations, the Government dropped its support for the environmentally destructive scheme, as well as for the equally disastrous proposed Worthing bypass across the South Downs behind Cissbury Ring.
Arundel and South Downs MP Howard Flight was certainly caught by surprise, having sent out a statement to local press earlier in the week welcoming 'the Government announcement to proceed with a bypass for Arundel'.
The last week has seen a flurry of media interest in the Arundel protest camp at Tortington Common, with reports everywhere from BBC TV and Meridian to the Evening Argus, The Times and The Guardian.
A hint as to the reasons why the Government backed down in West Sussex, while ploughing ahead with road plans elsewhere in the country, came in a report on the Evening Standard website this morning (Wednesday).
Written before the announcement, and seemingly expecting the Arundel road to be given the green light, it added: "The Government will be desperate to avoid clashes with committed activists such as 'Swampy' - so-called 'king of the eco-warriors'. It is still nervous of provoking the kind of confrontations that created ugly scenes at Twyford Down and the Newbury bypass in the late nineties."
We've said it before and we'll say it again: direct action works

porkbolter
- e-mail: worthing@eco-action
- Homepage: http://www.eco-action.org/porkbolter

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

Glad to see that the good guys won...

09.07.2003 21:37

I remeber the Newbury bypass protests, and also the same confontations near my home when they were building the A30 in Cornwall. It's great to see that we have STOPPED envionmental destruction from happening - this time.

Thomas J


Fair Play!

10.07.2003 09:05

Thanks for efforts, especially from people like me who want a hot shower in the morning!

all mod cons


and don't forget...

10.07.2003 19:04

hoorah!

don't forget the other road protest camps - www.roadalert.org.uk

and you can set one up where there isn't, or fight for and against what matters - for info of a local group, or support in setting one up, check out www.earthfirst.org.uk and www.eco-action.org/blinc

anti-roads (n all else eh!)