CONNECTING DERBY

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Plans for the second phase of the Connecting Derby road project have been withdrawn. The city's ruling Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition said it was reviewing the project and said there will be more consultation before further work is agreed. The cabinet member for planning Transport and the Environment, Lucy Care, said phase two, through Friargate, may go ahead in some form in the future depending on traffic conditions.

The main aim of the Friargate overhaul was to move a part of the tortuous route of the existing Inner Ring Road. To minimise the impact on the conservation area, while still gaining the benefits of simplifying the route, the plan was to follow the line of the existing roads, making Stafford Street and Ford Street two-way. Number 5 Agard Street (the Clutch Centre), the old day nursery of Cavendish Street and numbers 19, 33 and 35 Ford Street would have been demolished to allow the work.

In March, the council's planning control committee backed the second phase. It also decided to consult a specialist lawyer before submitting the plans for Government approval. That followed advice from a barrister acting on behalf of Derby Heritage and Environmental Association for Residents and Traders (Heart), which was set up to fight the Connecting Derby plans. The barrister warned the council that it might be flouting planning regulations and EU law by considering each phase separately and not as one whole scheme.

Now, it would appear that the city council agrees with Derby Heart, as it has withdrawn the application for phase two. It had been hoped work on phase two would start later this year, with phase three getting under way next year. Derby Heart spokeswoman Louise During said, "I just think that this underlines the lack of planning and thought that has gone into this project. It almost seems too big for them to handle. It also brings into question whether phase one should have gone ahead as that is part of the Connecting Derby scheme."

Derby Heart member Trevor Lloyd-Davies, of Friargate, said, "Clearly the new administration of the Lib Dems and the Tories doesn't want another Five Lamps on its hands. That road scheme turned out to be a disaster and lost Labour power at this year's elections." Stuart Leslie, chief legal officer of the city council, said, "Our barrister did advise us that a legal challenge by Derby Heart might succeed. If it went that far and even if we won, the proceedings would delay the project by several months at a cost to the taxpayer, so the application has been withdrawn for a rethink. As a result, when the planning application is resubmitted, it will include both phases two and three."

The city centre is a hotch-potch - hardly surprising, really, since it has been awaiting the completion of an inner ring road system for more than 30 years. It is not helped by the shortcomings of the park-and-ride scheme, which is far behind many other cities and results in traffic coming into the city centre which might otherwise be spared that challenge. An overhaul, then, is long overdue. But when the city council came up with its three-pronged Connecting Derby scheme, it got a public response ranging from lukewarm support to hostile opposition, the latter from people unhappy with the proposed routes and the loss of the buildings which would have to make way for them.

Almost 2,000 people have signed a petition, organised by Derby HEART, protesting against Derby City Council's plans for the new inner ring road. The council's scrutiny management commission scrutinises the decisions of the cabinet and reviews the services, policies and procedures of the council and other bodies. A council spokeswoman said, "If the commission comes up with suitable ideas about Connecting Derby, I am sure the cabinet will consider them."

Councillors defended the Connecting Derby scheme despite the petition. Members of Derby HEART, who organised the petition, argued their case for stopping the scheme but councillors at the scrutiny management commission meeting said it was what the majority of people in the city wanted. Councillor Philip Hickson said, "Although lots of people signed the petition, they represent less than 1% of the people of Derby who are crying out for the scheme."

Derby Heart has demanded 25,000 photo copies of the papers the city council will use during an inquiry into the Connecting Derby scheme. The council had made the literature available for the public to view at its city offices. Free photocopying facilities were provided by the council so that objectors to the scheme could take away copies of papers they wanted to read more carefully. However, public inquiry rules allow objectors to demand their own copies if they wish. The council said it had no option but to meet the group's demands.

Derby Heart member Peter Steer said, "I'm sure the council's legal advisers have had a copy of the papers so I don't see why our legal advisers shouldn't receive copies. There are more people who are entitled to them than we've asked for, and it's quite possible that they'll ask for copies too. We don't know without looking at the papers whether one page, 1,000 pages or all 5,000 pages will be relevant." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Feb/07)