Leader of Sefton Council Cllr Ian Maher, has today released the following statement:

“We know that our communities have felt absolutely devastated since the announcement in August by Highways England that their preferred option is to build a dual carriageway through Rimrose Valley. The way the whole process has been handled beggars believe and the more I have thought about it, the more I believe that we have grounds to challenge and are calling for a judicial review on the matter.

“When they first started consultation on their two options to ease traffic on the A5036 – a revamped A5036 Dunnings Bridge Road, which is already one of the busiest roads in the north, or a new £200m road through Rimrose Valley Park in Litherland – we put forward a third option to build a tunnel as an alternative and felt it should have been properly looked at. Yet they completely disregarded this option without any real consideration.

“We want to do the best by our communities and I feel that this flawed decision needs to be challenged. It’s just not right that they can do this to the people of Sefton. Their failure to include the tunnel as an option in the consultation process has deprived our residents of the opportunity to express a view – and I think this gives us enough evidence to take legal action. We are calling on Highways England to withdraw its ridiculous decision and re-open the consultation, giving people an opportunity to comment on the possibility of a tunnel as another option.

“We want to protect our communities that already suffer from some of the poorest air quality. Not only will a road through Rimrose Valley remove much loved and vital green space provision in Sefton, but will cause air pollution and threaten the environmental and ecological systems which local people enjoy and which supports their health and wellbeing. We just can’t let this happen and I’m determined to fight it.”

Would be good to see the various costing for each:-

Revamped - ??
New Road - 200 million
Tunnel - ??

Perhaps they couldn't justify the cost of a tunnel, like justifying the cost of red tarmac..

Is this Cllr Ian Maher back yard I wonder, which would be why he would want to challenge it, unlike Southport, where he's not interested....

Originally Posted by roving-eye

Leader of Sefton Council Cllr Ian Maher, has today released the following statement:

“We know that our communities have felt absolutely devastated since the announcement in August by Highways England that their preferred option is to build a dual carriageway through Rimrose Valley. The way the whole process has been handled beggars believe and the more I have thought about it, the more I believe that we have grounds to challenge and are calling for a judicial review on the matter.

“When they first started consultation on their two options to ease traffic on the A5036 – a revamped A5036 Dunnings Bridge Road, which is already one of the busiest roads in the north, or a new £200m road through Rimrose Valley Park in Litherland – we put forward a third option to build a tunnel as an alternative and felt it should have been properly looked at. Yet they completely disregarded this option without any real consideration.

“We want to do the best by our communities and I feel that this flawed decision needs to be challenged. It’s just not right that they can do this to the people of Sefton. Their failure to include the tunnel as an option in the consultation process has deprived our residents of the opportunity to express a view – and I think this gives us enough evidence to take legal action. We are calling on Highways England to withdraw its ridiculous decision and re-open the consultation, giving people an opportunity to comment on the possibility of a tunnel as another option.

“We want to protect our communities that already suffer from some of the poorest air quality. Not only will a road through Rimrose Valley remove much loved and vital green space provision in Sefton, but will cause air pollution and threaten the environmental and ecological systems which local people enjoy and which supports their health and wellbeing. We just can’t let this happen and I’m determined to fight it.”

Just who are these faceless educationally challenged arrogant p.....s in the council who go around ram raiding ahead with their own stupid and unpopular personal ideas without public consultation i.e. Victoria Park sold off, changing road names, closing public roads down, tarmac on Lord Street, shutting off industrial estates- they should all be sacked! Why do they do it? Are they personally profiteering from doing this? As a resident, I say enough is enough before the whole area is completely ruined!