Parklife
News Releases
Press
release Parklife 'SAVE PRIORY PARK CAMPAIGN'
Thursday 21st June 2007
www.savepriorypark.org
Contact 07739 189 165
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
---------------------------------------------------------
Parklife REJECTS Council proposal for 'F5 phase 1.'
In response to Southend Borough Council's announcement yesterday to
scrap 'half' of the controversial A127/A1159 Priory Crescent 'scheme F5'
road widening, campaigner for single issue local residents group
Parklife, Shaun Qureshi said today:
"Newly elected Council leader Nigel Holdcroft had the opportunity
to do the right thing for all concerned against the road, but has
managed to do 'half a job' by cancelling only half of the F5
scheme."
With regard to the latest news Mr Qureshi added, "We now have a
situation where both Mr Holdcroft and ousted ex Council leader and F5
supporter Anna Waite have developed a plan to spend £10.8m, or still
over three times the cost originally agreed with central Government, to
build half of a road that was clearly not going to work in the first
place.
"Even when considering the track record of the local authority over
the past six years on this issue, this takes some beating. We are sure
that the people who have supported the campaign so magnificently will
see through this cynical ploy to 'neutralise' local concerns, whilst
still building 'F5 phase 1.'
"We have always been opposed to the widening of Priory Crescent,
either in part or in full. Though we have yet to see the full detail for
'F5 phase 1,' any widening will still have impacts on Priory Park, and
the East Saxon king's burial site will continue to be at risk if the new
dual carriageway is built."
At a public meeting held last night (Wednesday 20th June) members of
Parklife (1), Priory Park Preservation Society (2), and
Camp Bling (3), agreed unanimously to REJECT the Council
proposal.
----------------------------------------------------------
ENDS.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
(1) Parklife website www.savepriorypark.org
(2) Priory Park Preservation Society website www.ppps.org.uk
(3) Yeah boy!
Press
advisory 'SAVE PRIORY PARK CAMPAIGN'
Wednesday
24th January 2007
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESS
ADVISORY / PHOTO OPPORTUNITY.
WHAT?
A
major demonstration/rally of local people, and all concerned parties
against the controversial Priory Crescent (scheme F5) road widening,
will take place at the next full meeting of Southend Borough Council
(SBC).
WHEN?
From
6.30pm till 7.30pm, Thursday 22nd February 2007.
WHERE?
The
Civic Centre (main entrance/on the steps), Victoria Avenue, Southend
on Sea, Essex.
WHY?
A
decision on providing up to £25m in funding for the F5 road scheme is
currently awaited from the Department for Transport.
Dozens
of local residents recently ‘stormed’ Prittlewell Priory, during a
celebration attended by local Councillors and dignitaries, to mark
receiving the ‘British Archaeological Awards Developer Funded Award
2006,’ for the discovery of the East Saxon king’s burial in late
2003.
It
is intended that this next event will send yet another clear signal to
the decision makers that large numbers of people will mobilise in order
to stop the road, should the funding go ahead be given, and subsequent
eviction of protest site Camp Bling (located above the burial), be
attempted.
People
are requested to network details of the event, and to come along on the
evening to show support.
Hundreds
are expected.
WHO
TO CONTACT?:
Parklife
07739 189165
priory_parklife@yahoo.co.uk
Priory
Park Preservation Society 01702 309693
www.ppps.org.uk
Camp
Bling 07866 967601
www.savepriorypark.org
Southend
Borough Council 01702 215000
www.southend.gov.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENDS.
Press
release 'SAVE PRIORY PARK CAMPAIGN'
Tuesday
16th January 2006
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Southend
'Mayor' cancels F5 road widening at 'Prittlewell King' award
celebrations.
The campaign
against the controversial A127/A1159 Priory Crescent ‘F5’ road
widening scheme took yet another dramatic new turn tonight, when dozens
of local residents ‘stormed’ a celebration at the town’s Cluniac
Priory to mark Southend Borough Council receiving the coveted British
Archaeological Awards 2006 ‘Current Archaeology Developer-Funder
Archaeology Award,’1
for the discovery of the ‘King of Bling,’ in Prittlewell in late
2003.
Amid chaotic
scenes, Councillors and Dignitaries attending the celebration received a
speech from Southend ‘Mayor’ John Smith, who apologised on behalf of
the Council for their intention to destroy the East Saxon king’s
burial site, promised to return the award received last October in
Birmingham, and then dramatically announced the immediate cancellation
of the F5 road widening, after having, ‘finally listened to and taken
note of the majority of people in Southend who have been shown
repeatedly to oppose the scheme.’
Local resident
Patsy Link who joined the demonstrators said, ‘This award presented to
Southend Borough Council is said to celebrate the merits of developer
funded archaeology, which in the case of the discovery of the burial has
provided the opportunity to rewrite history. Southend Borough Council
now has a site to rival the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Suffolk, but still
seeks to bury it under 10 feet of concrete for the road widening. To
celebrate then destroy it is nothing short of sheer lunacy on the part
of the people here tonight at the Priory.’
A decision to
fund the road widening has been awaited from the Department for
Transport since a local Public Inquiry took place in March 2004.
Information from the East of England Regional Partnership Group shows
that costs have now risen to an estimated £25m for the 870 metre length
of carriageway, 2
making it potentially, ‘The most expensive stretch of road in the
world.’3
In the mean
time local protest site Camp Bling still occupies the land above the
burial, 4
as it has for sixteen months since first being set up by locals in
September 2005. It is rumoured that one of the deepest protest tunnel
systems ever known has since been dug to help defend the camp, and
numbers have grown significantly as the funding decision is awaited.
Mabel Jones of
Prittlewell said, ‘If the local Council and central Government
perceive that this campaign is only about a handful of people against
the road scheme then they need to think again and quickly. Tonight has
shown that a large cross section of the local community are not just
against the scheme, but will actively attempt to stop it if the funding
go ahead is now given.’
----------------------------------------------------------------
ENDS.
NOTES TO
EDITORS:
1 British
Archaeological Awards 2006: www.britarch.ac.uk/awards/winners2006.html
2 East of
England Regional Partnership Group regional funding allocations advice
to Government report January 2006, page 25:
http://www.eera.gov.uk/Documents/About%20EERA/Policy/Regional%20Governance/Regional%20Funding%20Allocations/Final%20EoE%20RFA%20300106.pdf
3 Southend
Evening Echo Monday 13th February 2006
4
Camp Bling website: www.savepriorypark.org
'Save Priory Park' Campaign
Press
Release
Thursday 14th September 2006
Camp Bling site number: 07866 967601
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Camp
Bling
marks 1st anniversary at king's burial.
Possibly against all the odds, and the
expectations of some, including the local council, Southend on Sea's
very own road protest site marks its first anniversary this coming
Saturday 23rd September.
Camp
Bling
was instigated one year ago by local people and members of the
Parklife resident's campaign group, to stop the controversial widening
of the
A127/A1159 Priory Crescent
, felling of 111 trees, concreting of 3000m2 of public open
space, and destruction of the world famous East Saxon king's burial
discovered in 2003.
Since then the campaign has continued in
earnest, with regular public meetings, lobbying, petitioning, direct
action, and a number of well attended events at the ever growing site,
which continues to thrive on a 200m strip of land situated between the
existing road and
Liverpool Street
railway line, in the very heart of town.
The camp will be holding an open house
on Saturday 23rd September from 2.00pm till late, to thank
the public for their amazing support over the past 12 months.
A spokesperson said, 'The plan is to keep
the event low key, as our purpose is simply to stop the road and
protect the land for the people of the town. To this end we welcome
everyone to join us to celebrate what in effect has become a wonderful
community project, and an opportunity for local people to stand up
collectively for what they believe in.'
The latest estimated cost for construction
is now £25m - not including site eviction or security - which
the Department for Transport has yet to make an announcement on
providing; to widen 870 metres of carriageway which it has been
claimed could well become the most expensive stretch of road ever to
be built. Costs have continued to spiral since an original figure of £3.5m
was agreed with central Government in December 2000.
In an effort to thwart the project, it is
rumoured that one of the deepest protest tunnel systems ever
known has now been dug, to enable the site to be defended
from any eviction, whether legal or illegal, by the local authority,
should the road be approved.
To date it is estimated that over 25,000
signatures and letters have been collected in opposition. Just 16
(sixteen) local people were found in favour of the scheme during
public consultation, and a recent newspaper poll shows the majority
still against the road.
The campaign continues...
---------------------------------------------------------------
ENDS.
Parklife
'Save Priory Park' Campaign
Friday 10th February 2006
Contact:
Rebecca Lush (Road Block) on 07854 693067
or Shaun Qureshi on 07739 189165
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
----------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL ANTI-ROADS
ALLIANCE
QUESTIONS EIGHT FOLD INCREASE IN SOUTHEND ROAD SCHEME COST
Road Block, the national alliance
against road building (1), has grilled Southend
Borough Council on the eight fold increase in costs for its A127
/ A1159 Priory Crescent road scheme. On 9th February,
Road Block submitted eleven Freedom of Information requests to the
council (below), asking for details of the cost increases. Road
Block is also investigating reporting the council to the District
Auditors Office.
The scheme was originally approved
at £3.5 million in December 2000 (2). However,
in a Written Answer to Tom Brake MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport
Secretary, on 19th December 2005 the most recent cost
estimate was revealed as £27.533 million (2).
In the Regional Funding Allocation
advice which went from the East of England region to the government on
31st January 2006, the cost was estimated to be £25
million (3).
Currently Southend Borough Council
are appealing to the government for more funding for the road, despite
the costs spiralling out of control. The government is expected
to make an announcement at the end of March.
Road Block spokeswoman Rebecca Lush
said:
"Whilst the government is
cutting funding for vital tram schemes around the country because of
cost increases, this road has increased in cost by eight times, making
it nationally the scheme with the most cost escalation. Not
only will this road be an expensive white elephant, it will also
damage
Priory
Park
, and destroy an internationally important Saxon burial mound.
It is time for the government to put this unpopular road scheme out of
its misery, refuse funding, and encourage Southend council to
investigate sustainable transport options. The people of
Southend deserve better than allowing its council to blow more than £27
million on a useless and destructive road"
Shaun Qureshi of local Southend
resident's campaign group, Parklife, said:
"We are delighted to have
the intervention of a national group to highlight the extraordinary
increase in cost for this ridiculous road. We look forward to
getting some answers from this secretive council, who have not
answered our questions regarding the scheme. We demand that the
government refuses the additional funding bid, and if they don't we
shall continue to challenge it, through the appropriate processes, and
through direct action if necessary"
The eleven requests were made using the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information
Regulations 2004. They went to Southend Borough Council, and
were copied to the Department for Transport, and the Government Office
for the East of England.
The questions were:
1) Please can you supply me with the
correspondence between Southend Borough Council and GO East in
December 2005 where the council provided GO East with the £27.533m
figure for the A127 /
A1159 Priory Crescent
road scheme, used in the Written Answer to Tom Brake MP on 19 December
2005.
2) I would like to see the cost
breakdown for this scheme used to provide the £27.533m cost estimate.
3) Please can you confirm the current estimate is £27.533m for the
road element only of the package?
4) How much money has the council already received from DfT for
the bus station and the first two phases of the public transport
corridor improvements in the original package approved in 2000?
5) How much money has been spent by the council so far in
'developing' the A127 /
A1159 Priory Crescent
road scheme?
6) Please can you confirm that the original package was
originally approved in 2000 at £14.5m, but £3.5m of that was for the
A127 /
A1159 Priory Crescent
road scheme?
7) Please can you confirm that
in the recent Regional Funding Allocation advice from the East of
England region, the A127 / A1159 Priory Crescent road scheme was
costed at £25 million in the 2011/2012 - 2015/16 phase of the RFA?
8) Please can you confirm that
your bid for funding currently with the DfT is for £11.28m?
9) Please can
you confirm that your bid for additional funding is being made in
accordance with the requirements set out in the DfT April 2005
guidance, Guidance
to Local Authorities seeking DfT funding for transport Major Schemes.
The requirements for a scheme of this status are set out in Annex B, Appraisal
Requirements for LTP Major Scheme moving from Provisional Approval to
Full Approval.
10) Please
can you confirm that the AST you sent me on 27 October 2005 is the
most current AST you have provided to the DfT or GO East?
11) Please can you tell me what officers or councillors from Southend
Borough Council sit on any of the decision making bodies involved in
the Regional Funding Allocation.
------------------------------------------------------------
ENDS
NOTES
TO EDITORS
(1) Road Block is a national
alliance of community groups opposed to road building. It
supports and advises local groups, and seeks to influence national
transport policy. See www.roadblock.org.uk
(2) Source of data: Written Answer
to Parliamentary Question by Tom Brake 19 Dec 2005.
(3) Tables showing the cost escalation of every road scheme in the
country based on the above data, showing Southend road scheme approved
at £3.5m, and with highest cost escalation in the country.
Settlement letter from DfT, Dec
2000, showing £13.5 for whole package
Monday
23rd January 2006
Parklife
Occupy The Government Office for the East Of England (GO-East)
Click for Press Release and Photos
PRESS
RELEASE – Parklife, Save Priory Park Campaign
Sunday 25th September 2005
Southend residents occupy 'Camp Bling' to save king.
Southend based road campaigners Parklife are taking direct action once again,
having started a long term tree sit on Friday 23rd September – at the recently
discovered East Saxon king's burial site - to oppose, and ultimately to stop the
controversial F5 road scheme, planned for the A127/A1159 Priory Crescent,
Southend on Sea, Essex.
In what might be the first protest of its type, an urban tree camp is being
constructed and occupied in the very heart of town. 'Camp Bling' - named after
the recently discovered 'Prince of Prittlewell,' or 'King of Bling' - is located
above the site of the burial, and strategically in the middle of the route of
the proposed road and railway bridge, next to the Liverpool Street railway
line(1).
Speaking directly from the new camp, long term Southend resident Anthony Bailey
said, 'We are taking the first steps to build a long term protest site, to
influence the Department for Transport to reject funding the significant cash
shortfall of £7.74m for the road, and ultimately to stop the destruction that
it will bring to our town.'
The stretch of carriageway which is due to be widened after the result of a
local public inquiry was announced earlier this year, has been subject to
continued local opposition from both local residents and green groups. Costs
have more than tripled from the original figure of £3.5m, agreed in December
2000, and the Government funding announcement is keenly awaited by all
concerned.(2)
More than 20,000 signatures were submitted by local residents and groups against
the road - compared to just 16 responses in favour - during a public
consultation held by the local authority. The scheme requires the felling of 113
trees, and the use of 3000m2 of public open space, including the burial site and
part of the adjoining Priory Park, to accommodate new carriageways, footpaths,
and associated highway utilities.(3)
Fellow resident and campaigner Shaun Qureshi added, 'The F5 white elephant is
massively over budget, significantly behind schedule, and very much unloved by
the people of our town. The DfT must surely now recognise the level of public
opposition, and should act accordingly by cancelling all funding for the road.
This is our time to take action, and we hope that we inspire others to join us
here.'
Notes to Editors:
(1) For more information regarding the recently discovered 'Prince of
Prittlewell,' or 'King of Bling,' check out www.museumoflondon.org.uk
(2) Based on figures from Southend Borough Council's Local Transport Plan,
Annual Progress Report, July 2004. Cost per mile for the F5 road scheme is £20.791m,
based upon £11.242m for the 870 metre stretch of carriageway. Comparisons to
other schemes can be made at www.roadblock.org.uk
(3) Figures taken from representations made by Southend Borough Council and
consultants W.S. Atkins, during the local public inquiry into the F5 road
scheme, March 2004.
Tuesday
16th August 2005
Parklife
Occupy The Department For Transport
Click for Press Release and Photos
PRESS RELEASE - Parklife, Save Priory Park Campaign.
Friday 1st July 2005
Parklife take back king's burial site and ask: 'Is road F5 set to become the most expensive and destructive stretch of tarmac in the country?'
Local residents campaign group Parklife are taking direct action this morning, in their latest bid to stop Government funding for the controversial F5 dual carriageway scheme, planned for the A127/A1159 Priory Crescent, Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
Members of the group have taken down security fencing from around the site of the internationally renowned East Saxon king's burial, dubbed by the media as both the, 'Prince of Prittlewell' and 'King of Bling.' The burial was discovered during preparatory works for the road early in 2004, and has also been described by experts as, 'A discovery of international importance which stunningly illuminates the rich and complex world of the so-called Dark Ages.' (1)
A number of Parklife campaigners are now chained to the fencing, which was removed in order to keep the site open for people to use and enjoy once again as a local public green space. The group are calling for funding to be cancelled by Government office GO-East, and the Department for Transport, due to continued local opposition, spiralling costs, and the impact which will be caused to both Priory Park and the burial site.
Speaking from the site, campaigner Shaun Qureshi said, 'Priory Park and the king's burial are two of the places which make Southend special to the people of this town. These are the same people who oppose the planned destruction, and who have voiced this opposition only to be ignored each and every time they have spoken out.'
'More than 20,000 signatures were submitted by residents and groups against this road, compared to just 16 in favour during public consultation. 113 trees will be felled, and 3000m2 of public open space, including the burial site, will be buried permanently under concrete and tarmac if funding is granted.' (2)
The stretch of carriageway, which is due to be widened after the result of a local public inquiry was announced earlier this year, has been subject to continued local opposition from both residents and green groups. Costs are set to spiral beyond a figure already three times more than that initially agreed in December 2000, when the local authority makes its latest bid for cash, expected within the next month.
Anthony Bailey, from Parklife added, 'The price of the road was last calculated at £11.24m in 2004, for just 870 metres and two new lanes. This compares per mile, to the cost of a new motorway, with all of the associated destruction that it will bring to the most sensitive part of our town. (3)
'We therefore call upon GO-East and the DfT to reject funding and to stop this madness once and for all. If they do not listen now, then is this set to become the most expensive and destructive stretch of tarmac in the country?'
Notes to Editors:
1 Quote from Ian Blair, Senior Archaeologist on site of burial. Printed in Museum of London Press Office release, February 2004.
www.museumoflondon.org.uk
2 Figures taken from representations by Southend Borough Council and consultant W.S. Atkins, during local public inquiry into F5 road scheme, March 2004.
3 Based on figures from Southend Borough Council's Local Transport Plan, Annual Progress Report, July 2004. Cost per mile for F5 road scheme is £20.791m, based upon £11.242m for the 870 metre stretch of carriageway. Comparisons to other schemes can be made at
www.roadblock.org.uk
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