The White Horse Alliance 2009 Campaign Appeal
It’s hard to believe, when “sustainable development” is supposedly at the heart of transport and planning policy, that a major new highway is planned through this protected landscape near the Westbury White Horse on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. Wiltshire County Council's Westbury Bypass would wreck this tranquil place, bury prime farmland, sever an ancient drove road, endanger a protected water source, threaten the survival of our rarest wildlife and increase traffic and carbon emissions. Wiltshire Life magazine was justifiably outraged:
‘The spectacular landscape of Westbury and its White Horse clearly shouts out to the world ''This is Wiltshire''. That we should be even thinking about blighting this unique part of the country with tarmac and oversized juggernauts is almost tantamount to treason.’ [Wiltshire Life, March 2007]
Wildlife under threat: This unspoiled countryside is home to some of Europe's most endangered creatures, including all four of its rarest bats, dormice, water voles, otters, barn owls and great-crested newts.
Public opinion ignored: Over the last decade hundreds of local people in the town, surrounding villages and business communities have opposed an eastern bypass, a majority preferring alternatives such as small-scale transport links to the trading estates, railway station and proposed rail freight terminal, all on the west of town.
White Horse Alliance: In August 2007 local campaigners, parish councils and environmental groups, including the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Woodland Trust, formed the White Horse Alliance to raise money to fight the scheme through the planning process.
Funding a professional case: Having forced the government to order a full planning inquiry we needed tens of thousands of pounds to retain specialist solicitors and expert witnesses. Our threat of legal action delayed the start of the inquiry from April to June. By the time it finally ended in October our experts had shown that this £38m road had no strategic function, would not relieve congestion on the A350, would send more HGVs through the villages, would do nothing for public transport and would be open to legal challenge under UK and European law.
A test case for sustainability: Westbury is a test case for sustainable development in the 21st century. If this useless and destructive road can be built here - in a protected landscape, over a protected water source and through the habitats of Europe's most strictly protected wildlife - anything can be built anywhere. Any government foolish enough to approve this outrage now, in the sooty twilight of the carbon age, when converging crises over climate change, energy, finance, food, land, jobs and housing should make major road-building unthinkable, must be challenged in the High Court and the European Court of Justice.
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