From Mr J. Marshall
Having read most of your reports, proposals, etc. you seem to put a great deal of value on your support from the public.
How do you answer those who suggest that you
• fail to give balanced information
• ask loaded questions in your surveys,
• make unsupported interpretations of skewed results and
• ignore professional reports that question your proposals.
For example, in 2008 the Council asked a small ‘sample’ of stakeholders, “should we deliver a blended package of transport with or without an outer distributor road ?” And used the response in its the next survey (Core Strategy 2010) to restrict reponses to choice of route despite the very broad initial question in 2008. The Council has clearly ignored the Hereford Relief Road Study of Options (Amey 2010) which shows that a relief road would not improve congestion and that with housing development the congestion will be worse. The Herefordshire Council ‘Housing Market Assessment (June 2008) showed that the whole county only needs 7700 new houses, for local people. The Herefordshire Council Water Cycle Study (Sept 2009) shows that sewerage treatment in Hereford can only accommodate 3500 new homes. The Hereford Hospital NHS Trust Public Board Meeting (March 2009) indicates that NHS Herefordshire has fewer beds, fewer acute beds per 1000 population than the average for NHS England.
SUPPORT FOR A HEREFORD RELIEF ROAD
from Mo Burns
a) In its numerous consultations on the Core Strategy (i.e., on issues, vision, objectives, and developing options) which the Council cites as giving popular support for its Hereford Outer Distributor/Relief Road, what information were people given about
• The traffic reduction effects of a Relief (or Outer Distributor) Road;
• Its wider impacts (on sustainable travel, climate change and the local environment);
• Alternatives to road building?
b) What alternatives to road building had been tested in preparation for the 2008 Developing Options consultation?
[See Council Meeting 19 November 2010 Q.11 for answer to simplified question]
