Metro Mayor joins debate amid growing pressure on Government
to revisit Port of Liverpool’s infrastructure problems
Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region’s Metro Mayor, has waded into the debate surrounding Rimrose Valley’s future by calling for the Government, Highways England and Peel Ports to sit down with Sefton Council to explore what can be done to solve the traffic congestion and pollution issues in the Borough.
This follows a high-profile visit from Craig Bennett, CEO of Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Friday, 29th March, during which he too demanded that the Government halt the scheme and instead pursue sustainable solutions [1].
In a statement issued to the Save Rimrose Valley campaign [2], Steve Rotheram wrote:
Stuart Bennett of the Save Rimrose Valley Campaign said:
“The intervention of our Metro Mayor is both significant and welcomed. We believe it represents a breakthrough and it is encouraging to see him acknowledge the genuine fears people have for their health and the environment.
“We firmly believe that a solution is possible which improves the lives of everyone – not only for those who want to see Rimrose Valley protected – but also for the communities alongside the existing A5036 Port Access Route.
“The main reason this threat has arisen is due to the artificially low budget for the scheme which has ruled out any sensible solution, including non-road alternatives. Let's not forget, this is supposed to be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, yet the budget Highways England has been allocated is only slightly more than the Government has made available to Councils via its Pothole Action Fund [3]. You only have to look at the amounts awarded to other, similar schemes [4] across the country to realise that we are being sold short, here in Liverpool.
“We now have our Council, our MPs and our Metro Mayor all publicly calling for the plans to be revisited. We urge Steve Rotheram to continue to lobby Government and to use his influence to secure more funding for a better solution. We have also requested that he facilitates the meeting he is calling for and gets the right people around the table. However, the Department for Transport must approach any meeting with an open mind and genuine desire to explore a fairer solution.”
Notes
For more details on the campaign, follow us on social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SaveRimroseValley
Twitter: www.twitter.com/saverimrose
References
[1] Friends of the Earth CEO, Craig Bennett, attended ‘Wish Tree’ event on Rimrose Valley on Friday, 29thMarch. Press Release available on request.
[2] Statement emailed from Metro Mayor’s Office, Friday 29thMarch. Copy available on request
[4] Highways England Schemes and their budgets:
£250m A5036 Port of Liverpool Access Scheme https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/new-250m-super-road-through-13555060
£6.8bn Lower Thames Crossing, in which a tunnel solution is heralded as being environmentally sound and sympathetic to the public’s health: https://highwaysengland.co.uk/lower-thames-crossing-home/
£1.6bn Tunnel Stonehenge