17th April 2015
Talk of a feasibility study to develop high level designs for the option of a road through Rimrose Valley has raised great concerns and many questions from Rimrose Valley Friends and people in the communities who enjoy the natural beauty of the Rimrose Valley Country Park.
Whilst the eventual outcome of any study will hopefully eliminate any chance of a road being developed on Rimrose Valley, we recognise that now is the time to position ourselves to have a voice and to be listened to when it counts.
Rimrose Valley Friends met with Sefton Council's Transport Planning Unit earlier this month to gather the facts of what’s going on and establish our validity as a community group so that we can get a formal introduction to Highways England (formerly the Highways Agency) and the Liverpool City Region Port Access Steering Group, as a party with special interest in the outcome of the study. We intend to foster a working relationship with open and transparent dialogue between all parties. We believe that to have a respected voice with the various authorities is essential in helping to ensure the best possible and least disruptive eventual outcome for Rimrose Valley should a road ever reach the planning stage.
Rimrose Valley Friends as an organisation believes that it’s too premature to start objecting to plans, as no plans exist. All that exists is the idea by Highways England of an option that a road through Rimrose Valley may alleviate future traffic problems on the route to the Port of Liverpool. Only once the idea starts to become a plan will we have something to argue against. We believe that to complain and to fight at this stage, we will lose credibility and not have a meaningful voice when it counts.
At our meeting with the Council we asked why an announcement hasn’t been made yet. It was explained that the process is being led by Highways England, not the Council, but neither organisation wanted to cause unnecessary concern and upset to people when it’s nothing more than an idea. Now that it’s clear an announcement must be made, they’re prohibited from doing so as we’re in general election campaign season, and both organisations are legally prevented from making any public statements that could influence the electorate. This is known as ‘Purdah’ and to breach it amounts to a breach of Section 2 of the Local Government Act 1986.
Right now we’re encouraging people in the communities of Rimrose Valley to sit tight and wait. Highways England is expected to make their announcement by the end of June about the work planned over the next couple of years and we will know soon after that whether Rimrose Valley Friends will be considered by Highways England as an authoritative organisation who will have a voice.
The best help people can give us is to show their support. For people who aren’t yet registered as Rimrose Valley Friends, we ask that you do so. The best way to do this is to click here, or go to www.rimrosevalleyfriends.org and sign up as a Friend, or phone us on 0151 558 1105. Every person who shows their support is an extra voice which adds to our credibility as a group who want to stand up for Rimrose Valley.
We’re currently going through the legal process of setting our organisation up as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The admin is taking some time, but once ready we’ll call a public meeting and open up a voting membership for Friends who want to have a say as to how RVF proceeds on this and other matters.
