News 2009
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December - Wiltshire County Council attempts to resurrect the defeated road scheme. A satirical look at the decision; whatelse?! .More details
November - The White Horse Alliance launches the 'book of the campaign'. The 26 page book with its copious photographs chronicles the determination and imagination of local residents and campaigners in defeating the road proposal and preserving the Wellhead Valley. More details
July - The Government rejects Westbury bypass plan. The Secretary of State for Communities accepts the public inspectors' recommendation that the proposed Westbury Bypass be rejected. Campaigners and local residents are jubilant. More details
May - The Government Minister who will accept or reject the Westbury bypass planning inspectors' recommendation is sent a giant postcard signed by local residents and Britain's leading environmental organisations.More details
April - The White Horse Alliance has received support from Artists' Project Earth (APE), a charity committed to promoting action against climate chaos. More details
April - Land at Fairview Farm, on the proposed bypass route, is for sale at £1m.More details
March - The opening of a photographic exhibition chronicling the road protests at Solsbury Hill, near Bath, leads to concern that similar 'road rage' could unfold at Westbury if the proposed bypass is approved. More details
March - Shaun Spiers, Campaign to Protect Rural England, puts his shoulder behind the Alliance with a contribution to the Guardian newspaper's letters page. More details
February - The Wiltshire branch of the Council for the Protection of Rural England publish an article in their members magazine 'Moonraker' (Issue No. 8, February 2009) laying out a damming indictment of the road proposal.Read the three page article (PDF)
News 2008
October - The Alliance calls on Government Minister Ben Bradshaw not to 'fast-track' the road's funding as an economic stimulant. More details
October - Wiltshire County Council reveals revised figures for the mounting cost of the new road, and funding by housing development at Yarnbrook. More details
October - The public inquiry examining the proposed road lasted 25 days, and it closed on October 8. Solicitor Charlie Hopkins, representing the White Horse Alliance delivers his closing statement.
August - The White Horse Alliance is urging local businesses to take part in a critical consultation on the Station Road Railway Bridge. The bridge forms an important part of the road network; its future may hold the balance to the outcome of the bypass inquiry. More details
July - The Government repsonse to the draft regional strategy for the South-west, including Westbury in Wiltshire, does not prioritise the proposed bypass. The inquiry is adjurned on 24 July and it is to reconvene for two days in September. More details
June - The public inquiry into the proposed bypass opened on Tuesday 17 June in Westbury.
June - Saxon King Alfred, atop a horse, visited the Wellhead Valley and the route of the proposed bypass on June 8. More details
March - the pre-inquiry meeting, held on March 3, shows the extent of opposition to the proposed bypass. The Inspector recommends an inquiry starting 17 June 2008. More details
February - the White Horse Alliance persuade Government to delay the start of a planning inquiry into the controversial Westbury Eastern Bypass. Solicitors acting for the Alliance wrote to the Secretary of State for Communities complaining that the Planning Inspectorate had acted unreasonably in setting a starting date in April without consulting objectors. More details
News Archive 1997 - 2007
The opposition to a Westbury Bypass stretches back more than ten years. View the news archives:1997 - 2002; 2003 - 2005; 2006 - 2007.