The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
I could hardly believe what I was reading in Richard Rush’s article about Spalding Western Relief Road in your February 16 issue.
When the road project was first announced we formed a protest group called SPARR (Spalding and Pinchbeck Against the Relief Road).
We spent about a year trying to convince both SHDC and Lincolnshire County Council planners and councillors that the road would be a complete waste of time and money, and probably never completed.
We argued that it would have no positive effect on the traffic flow in Spalding even if the whole five sections were eventually built.
The only purpose this road will serve is to enable thousands of new dwellings to be built on a flood plain.
I do not wish to be a doom monger, but when all of these homes are occupied we will then see the effect it has on the Spalding to Pinchbeck road, the only way in and out.
We were treated with total disrespect throughout by both councils with the exception of three local councillors. I will not name them only to say that one of them has sadly died, bless her.
Now it would appear that some councillors are having misgivings about the road, it’s a pity they didn’t listen to us two years ago.
The road seems to be the brainchild of the one-time chairman of SHDC planning committee, who throughout the whole debate was hell bent on seeing it through, even shouting out at our meeting that if we thought we could stop the road then we must be deluded. At least he got that bit right.
He is now saying he has “a heavy heart” and Network Rail are to blame for the road.
I have now figured out what is required to be a councillor, bask in the glory when you occasionally get something right, but when things go horribly wrong, you blame someone else. Very clever.
John Batterham
Angelica Drive
Spalding
