North West England
‘Take the Flour Back’ will be a nice day out in the country, with picnics, music from Seize the Day and a decontamination. It’s for anyone who feels able to publically help remove this threat and those who want to show their support for them.
What to bring, action you should take before the 27th May, transport info and more info on the website – http://taketheflourback.org/
Taking place WORLDWIDE on Tuesday 22nd May 2012
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbXnBXoTzI
#OccupyOil the Sequel: The road to SHELL is paved with bad intentions…
Taking place WORLDWIDE on Tuesday 22nd May 2012
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbXnBXoTzI
#OccupyOil the Sequel: The road to SHELL is paved with bad intentions…
BLOODY MONEY: Tar Sands, Rossport, Niger Delta
On the 8th of Feb this year Occupy Oil held it first day of mass action.
Shell Stations across the UK and indeed further afield were blockaded or picketed. We are back and on the 22nd of May 2012 we are holding Occupy Oil the Sequel, Royal Dutch Shell will be holding their AGM in The Hague with an audio-visual link to a satellite meeting place in London.
We are calling on all occupiers, groups and individuals to come together and send a clear message to Shell.
NIGER DELTA
Shell Oil in the Niger Delta have done untold destruction, the oil giant's 2008 spills have wrecked livelihoods of 69,000 people and will take 30 years to clean up.
Guardian Article from 2011: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/10/shell-nigerian-oil-spills-amnesty
ROSSPORT, CO MAYO, IRELAND
The Oil giant continues to destroy the community of Rossport, Co Mayo Ireland. Read more about the Shell to Sea campaign at www.shelltosea.com
TAR SANDS, CANADA
Royal Dutch Shell is one of the largest players in tar sands, producing approximately 276 000 barrels per day or roughly 20% of total exports from Alberta. Shell has put forth applications to expand its capacity through new mines and in situ projects, to a projected 770 000 barrel per day capacity. However, strong community resistance to Shell has damaged their reputation with both shareholders and the public. Indeed, Shell has been named in five lawsuits related to tar sands developments and has faced shareholder resolutions demanding greater clarity over the risk of tar sands investments.
UK Tar Sands Network: www.no-tar-sands.org
It's time to make a stand. On 22nd of May 2012 we will occupy petrol stations across the GLOBE. We call on activists to organise yourselves into affinity groups and join this action world-wide. Make banners, get sound systems and pick targets. As the date approaches we can co-ordinate actions for maximum impact. Let's send another shot in our war against the global elites.
E-MAIL: info@occupyoil.co.uk
TWITTER: @OccupyOil, hashtag #OccupyOil
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/events/230582443683609
WEB: www.occupyoil.co.uk
The Protect the Wilderness campaign attended a court hearing on Monday 5th brought by Gloucestershire County Council. This morning, the Judge gave possession to the council. An eviction is very likely in the immediate days.
The Protect the Wilderness campaign attended a court hearing on Monday 5th brought by Gloucestershire County Council. This morning, the Judge gave possession to the council. An eviction is very likely in the immediate days.
However Protect the Wilderness would like to confirm that the Reclaim the Fields Gathering happening this week will still be going ahead with a whole three days of workshops, activities and actions as previously advertised.
For anyone attending:
*You will be fed, warm, comfortable & inspired!
*You will be able to camp safely in the forest, please bring a tent & bedding if possible otherwise there is a large communal yurt provided with bedding & blankets available
*There will be enough food for everyone
*There will be a fire-pit & warm spaces to be
And finally, you will be free to choose your involvement with the eviction & any solidarity needed with the Wilderness Centre. There are safe spaces as well as opportunities to become involved in defending the space – it is completely your choice! This is a great chance to learn about your rights and see the results of our work here at the wilderness centre.
So please join Protect the Wilderness & Reclaim the Fields in celebrating our shared struggles for accessing land to grow food for our communities & to live land-based lives.
As a reminder, here is a taster of what will be happening the next few days:
*Introductions to land rights, Reclaim the Fields UK & European constellations, Seed Sovereignty, WWOLF (woofing with teeth) and Reclaim the Field Trips
*Workshops including composting gender, occupying land, protecting bee populations, food sovereignty and more.
*Skillshares, guerrilla gardening, music & feasting!
For more information about the gathering please see:
http://www.reclaimthefields.org.uk/spring-gathering-2012/
More info about the Wilderness Centre: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-the-Wilderness-Centre-Forest-of-Dean/321890141176064
Who to contact if needed: 07811 726 372
Directions: Bus/train to Gloucester then get the 24/24a to Mitcheldean (takes about 30 mins) get off when you see the church (near the hairdressers) and ask someone for directions or notice other RTFers. Otherwise call the number above & you will be collected.
Resistance is Fertile!
@ The Wilderness Centre, Mitcheldean, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, GL17 0HA
The first Reclaim the Fields Gathering of the year will be taking place this March at the Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean.
Pre-Gathering Help needed:
@ The Wilderness Centre, Mitcheldean, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, GL17 0HA
The first Reclaim the Fields Gathering of the year will be taking place this March at the Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean.
Pre-Gathering Help needed:
Anyone interested in helping out with the running/ setting up of the event, should come to the Wilderness asap. If you're interested in giving a talk, or demonstrating a skill – get in contact, or just show up and arrange to use one of the "spaces" available with one of the Protect The Wilderness Crew.
The provisional timetable includes:
Thursday 8th:
*Introduction to Reclaim the Fields – where we've come from and recent action, including feedback from the European Gathering.
* Wilderness Centre introduction & housekeeping
*Open Introductions; introduce your self & your projects & continue networking with our noticeboard
The remainder of the day is designed around open spaces, giving people a chance to work & communicate around these suggestions so far:
*WWOLF (woofing with teeth) and Reclaim the Field Trips
*Seed Sovereignty & grower-to-grower seed distribution networks
*Carrots session e.g. RTF internal structure/sharing workloads
*Using the food sovereignty principles as a strategic framework – (in a UK context)
*How to organise & maintain effective land occupations
*Composting gender
*Planning for International Peasants Day of Struggle on April 17th
*Legal options for accessing land
*Protecting bee populations
Friday 9th:
*Session on general Reclaim the Fields strategy and focuses for 2012
Workshops and talks:
*An introduction to land rights
*History of Land rights struggles in the Forest of Dean
Followed by a consensus based guerilla gardening action… remains open to suggestions!
(ideas so far…)
*Food forest, in an abandoned quarry
*Care home for the elderly
* Clear-felled Forestry land
* Victorian walled garden
Saturday 10th:
Protect The Wilderness open skill-share day!
Seed swap, Community bring and share.
Gardening the organic community garden, and walled garden.
Music and feasting!
Not forgetting gardening, charcoal burning, baking in the cob oven, seedbomb making, cobbing the round-house, and chopping wood through-out!
£5 suggested donation per day, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Items to bring:
Warm clothes, two sets (if you mind being muddy)
bedding, camping mats
tools for g-gardening [spades, forks, mattocks, billhooks]
Instruments, dancing shoes,
seeds for seedbombs,
home-grown veg, pickles, jams, whole foods
More info about the Wilderness Centre: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-the-Wilderness-Centre-Forest-of-Dean/321890141176064
Who to contact for more information: use the RTF UK email list or email frankynecklace@yahoo.co.uk
Gourds work be done,
Protect The Wilderness,
Reclaim the Fields!
Saturday 17th March,
Saturday 17th March,
Methodist Central Hall, Oldham Street, Manchester. Map and Directions here.
Organised by Campaign against Climate Change with REAF, The Vale Says No, Frack Off and No Fracking in Sussex.
11.00 am to 6.00 pm
Come and meet people from groups all around the country (and beyond) campaigning against 'hydraulic fracturing' or "fracking".(find out more about fracking here)
The event will include:
Opening plenary including presentaion from the Tyndal Centre, speaker from 'Frack Off' and other speakers tba (watch this space)
Regional report session from local anti-fracking campaign groups all around the country.
2 Sessions of workshops on all you need to know about fracking, targeted advice on how to run a local campaign, anti-fracking Direct action ….and more (watch this space for more details about specific workshops…)
Discussion on what we can do to form a broad-based National anti-fracking Coalition or umbrella group (with the local grass-roots residents groups at its core)
Extra time for the meeting to take things forward as it sees fit…..
Lets get together to stop fracking in the UK NOW, before it gets a hold and becomes unstoppable!
Put the 17th March in your diary now !
www.campaigncc.org/nationalantifrackingmeeting
The first Reclaim the Fields Gathering of the year will be taking place this March at the Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean.
The provisional timetable includes workshops on:
The first Reclaim the Fields Gathering of the year will be taking place this March at the Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean.
The provisional timetable includes workshops on:
*How to organise & maintain effective land occupations
*An introduction to land rights
*Composting gender
*Legal options for accessing land
*Learning from Peasant Struggles in the Global South
*Using the food sovereignty principles as a strategic framework
There will also be feedback from the European Reclaim the Field Gatherings & constellation as well as space for working group sessions around:
*Seed Sovereignty
*WWOLF (woofing with teeth) and Reclaim the Field Trips
*Planning for International Peasants Day of Struggle on April 17th
Some guerrilla-gardening type actions are also planned throughout. Saturday 10th is the Wilderness Centre's public open day so there will also be practical skills-sharing workshops.
When: Accommodation is available from the evening of Wednesday 7th. Otherwise the gathering is two full days Thursday & Friday 8-9th March. The Forest always welcomes visitors so arrange with them if you want to stay & help out before hand.
Where: Wilderness Centre, Forest of Dean. Directions are here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-the-Wilderness-Centre-Forest-of-Dean/321890141176064
Who to contact for more information: use the RTF UK email list or email frankynecklace@yahoo.co.uk
What to bring: Sleeping bags, blankets, mats, own set of cutlery & bowl if possible. There is indoor sleeping space and room for tents outside. Any home grown food to share & also seeds to swap.
Food will be a minimum of £5 donation per day. Any other donations are welcome
More suggestions for workshops, sessions & other activities are always welcome, this is our constellation & gathering to make things happen.
About:
Reclaim the Fields is a constellation of people and collective projects willing to go back to the land and reassume the control over food production. We are determined to create alternatives to capitalism through cooperative, collective, autonomous, real needs oriented small scale production and initiatives, putting theory into practice and linking local practical action with global political struggles.
You can find more about us, our struggles & more resources such as downloadable zines here: www.reclaimthefields.org.uk
Friday update: an exciting start to the Fuel Poverty Action Weekend of Winter Warm-ups…Hundreds of people across the country came out of their cold homes to get warm at the buildings of institutions that have a hand in creating fuel poverty, to challenge the Big Six’s monopoly and the government’s complicity. London – Leeds – Swindon – Manchester:
Friday update: an exciting start to the Fuel Poverty Action Weekend of Winter Warm-ups…Hundreds of people across the country came out of their cold homes to get warm at the buildings of institutions that have a hand in creating fuel poverty, to challenge the Big Six’s monopoly and the government’s complicity. London – Leeds – Swindon – Manchester: read more
Saturday update: Cambridge
Monday update: six activists have barricaded themselves into meeting rooms on two floors of British Gas offices in Staines, Middlesex, as part of the ‘Winter Warm-Up’ weekend called by the campaign group Fuel Poverty Action. British Gas is being targeted as one of the Big Six energy companies making profits out of rising energy bills. Read more.
Update – faced with a threatening police presence, the occupiers of the British Gas offices have now decided to leave on their own terms.
18 January 2012
BASF, the last firm still developing genetically modified crops in Germany is stopping its work, admitting defeat in the face of widespread European opposition to to the idea.
18 January 2012
BASF, the last firm still developing genetically modified crops in Germany is stopping its work, admitting defeat in the face of widespread European opposition to to the idea.
This follows decisions by Bayer and Syngenta to stop their genetically modified (GM) crop work in Germany over the last few years.
German chemical giant BASF has announced that it will halt the development or commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe, and move its biotech R&D operations to the US. The firm cited consumer and political resistance to transgenic plants in Europe for its decision.
BASF will now concentrate its plant biotechnology activities in North and South America, and the headquarters of BASF Plant Science will be moved from Limburgerhof, Germany, to Raleigh, North Carolina, US. BASF expects that this will result in the loss of 140 jobs in Europe.
'We are convinced that plant biotechnology is a key technology for the 21st century,' said Stefan Marcinowski, a member of BASF's executive board. 'However, there is still a lack of acceptance for this technology in many parts of Europe – from the majority of consumers, farmers and politicians. Therefore, it does not make business sense to continue investing in products exclusively for cultivation in this market.'
BASF's decision was met with warnings from industry representatives and lobbyists, but celebration by others, including environmental advocates and at least one former industry insider.
Presently, only two GM crops are authorised for cultivation in the EU: MON810 maize, made by US-based Monsanto, and BASF's Amflora potato. MON810 is only approved for sale as an animal feed and starch from Amflora is used in industrial processes.
Maurice Moloney, the chief executive of Rothamsted Research in the UK, which has been engaged in GM work, said that moving the focus of crop science even further away from Europe is 'deeply regrettable'. Such a move will 'make innovative new technologies, including but not limited to GM, less available to European producers and consumers and carries the risk of denying them access to crops and foods with health and environmental benefits,' he added.
BASF's decision is likely to adversely affect Europe's economic growth and food supply, Moloney warned. 'It is ironic that much of the science that created modern biotechnology came from Europe and yet Europeans have been deprived of the environmental benefits such as the reduction of the use of pesticides and improved soil quality as well as the more obvious economic benefits of cheaper food and agricultural products,' he said.
In addition, Alan Dewar, an independent entomologist who directs Dewar Crop Protection and used to be head of entomology at a division of Rothamsted Research, called BASF's decision to quit Europe 'indicative of the ever increasing isolation that European scientists find themselves in'. Dewar highlighted 'inadequate sentences' handed down by judges in several European countries to protestors who have been 'caught red-handed' destroying GM field trials, saying it is not surprising that biotech crop research has stalled in Europe.
But Ignacio Chapela, a microbial ecology professor at the University of California, Berkeley and senior researcher with the Centre for Biosafety in Norway, says that genetically modified organisms have been overhyped and that the industry needs to be significantly trimmed down.
'The size of the GMO market should be much smaller, but it is being promoted very strongly with the full force of the US government,' Chapela says, who formerly worked for Swiss firm Sandoz, Sygenta's predecessor, developing new agrichemicals. He says much publicised claims that GM crops would cut levels of herbicides and insecticides in the food chain have failed to materialise and, in fact, many of these products have led to more of both.
The environmental group Friends of the Earth (FoE) Europe also celebrated BASF's announcement. 'This is another nail in the coffin for genetically modified foods in Europe,' said Adrian Bebb, agrofuels campaign coordinator for FoE Europe. 'This is a good day for consumers and farmers and opens the door for the European Union to shift Europe to greener and more publicly acceptable farming.'
However, is this a real victory or a sleight of hand? Read more
——
Amaranth, the Inca sacred plant, attacks GM soya crop
5,000 hectares trashed, 50,000 threatened!
It first happened in 2004, when a farmer in Atlanta in the US found amaranth that had spread to his fields was resistant to Roundup – the herbicide much GM was bred to resist. But since then, the 'weed' has spread widely, and according to the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology there has been gene transfer.
[note: this is an old article, excerpt taken from here. There have been a rash recently of articles about GM reposted from the last years, that purport to be from 2012; this article about amaranth was not previously covered on this site, hence it's brief reposting]
——
Dear all,
Dear all,
this is our first newsletter since the Stop New Nuclear gathering in Bristol on 5/6 November, where we decided on our next major action. We are all excited about our new plan, and with this newsletter we send you some information about the planned action to surround Hinkley Point on 10 March 2011, followed by a 24 hour blockade until 11 March 2011. All this to mark one year since the beginning of the catastrophe of Fukushima, which is far from over.
Fukushima is the biggest industrial disaster in history, and has brought Japan to its knees. The reactors that went into meltdown in March have now melted through the foundations and 40 years of accumulated nuclear waste is emitting vast amounts of radiation, contaminating the land, sea and air. In desperation, the Japanese government is transporting and burning radioactive rubble all over Japan and exporting highly contaminated food as “aid” to developing countries. Men, women and children are living in highly radioactive areas but they are not being evacuated as they should be. This intense radiation exposure has very serious health consequences for these people.
How has Japan ended up in this dreadful situation? Their government always said “It can’t happen here.” Sound familiar? Powerful political and economic interest groups are gagging the world’s media on this unfolding tragedy. Ordinary people the world over will pay the price.
Since the first civilian reactor started generating in 1954, there has been, on average, a major accident every 14-18 years: Windscale 1957, Three Mile Island1979, Chernobyl 1986, Fukushima 2011.
Stop New Nuclear's answer to the crisis of Fukushima is clear: now new nuclear in Britain and anywhere else! Therefore, our action on "Fukushima day" will be to
Hinkley Point is the first of eight proposed sites for nuclear new build to go ahead. We stopped them here before in 1987, and we can do it again in 2012. If they fail at Hinkley, it is unlikely the “nuclear renaissance” will have the momentum to continue.
On the 10th -11th March 2012, one year since the Fukushima nuclear disaster began, we will return to Hinkley to form a human chain around the station to show our determined opposition to new nuclear.
In 2010, dozens of us blockaded the gates at Hinkley. In 2011 hundreds of us blockaded the entrance again. In 2012, thousands of us will surround the power station to say No to new nuclear! Not here, not anywhere!
In October 2011, people pledged to blockade. This time, pledge to bring 5 friends and tell them to do the same. Thousands are needed to surround the station!
Pledge to surround Hinkley Point, to bring five friends, or to blockade Hinkley Point
To ‘Surround Hinkley’ is to demand to have a voice in decisions about our energy future. Help to make this a festival of creative resistance with music, art, theatre, banners, and whatever takes your fancy! To mark the end of the ‘Surround’, there will be a gathering at the main gate of Hinkley for a rally and music. You may want to return on the coaches after the action or stay to blockade the gates for 24 hours. With tents and tubes we will remain at the gates to show our solidarity with the people of Japan.
The time to act is now! Join your local anti nuclear campaign, form affinity groups. The Stop New Nuclear Alliance can help by giving training in non-violent direct action, consensus decision- making, spokes councils and advice on transport etc….
In our hundreds, in our thousands we will come together to stop nuclear power at Hinkley Point and dismantle the whole new nuclear agenda! This is the chance to be part of smething massive. JOIN US!
Please help to spread the message by either downloading the flier, or ask us to send you a pack. We welcome some donation to cover postage, but even if you can't – we need to get the message out!
Get in touch with us if you want to organise a minibus or put on a coach.
There was some news at the end of October that EDF is delaying its final investment decision about Hinkley C (and its other planned new nuclear power stations in the UK: Sizewell, Heysham, etc) until the end of 2012. However, EDF still insists that it will submit its application to the Infrastructure Planning Commission soon, and also declared that it wants to start preparing the site for Hinkley C from spring 2012 on. For us, this means two things:
Nevertheless, EDF went ahead with its application to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC). The IPC has accepted the application, and from Friday, 2 December, there are 28 days for everyone to register that they want to comment on the application. This is only a first registration, and does not need to be accompanied by the detailed objections, but without this registration, you will not be able to object later.
The Infrastructure Planning Commission is also organising events locally near Hinkley Point to explain the process, when to register and how to make a representation to the IPC. They will be held between 10am – 9pm at the following locations:
– Stogursey – Monday 5 December, The Victory Hall, Tower Hill, Stogursey, TA5 1PR
– Cannington – Thursday 8 December, Cannington Village Hall, 2 Brook Street, Cannington, TA5 2HP
– Williton – Friday 9 December, West Somerset House, Killick Way, Williton, TA4 4QA
– North Petherton – Monday 12 December, The Walnut Tree Hotel, North Petherton, TA6 6QA
– Combwich – Tuesday 13 December, Otterhampton Village Hall, Riverside, Combwich, TA5 2QZ
– Bridgwater – Wednesday 14 December, Town Hall, High Street, Bridgwater, TA6 3BL.
More information on the planning process is available on the website of the IPC at http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk/projects/south-west/hinkley-point-c-new-nuclear-power-station/.
Stop Hinkley will be presenting more than 12,000 petitions against Hinkley Point C at Downing Street on Tuesday, 6 December, at at 1.30pm and at the Department of Energy and Climate Change in London on 6th December at 2.00 pm. Members of Stop Hinkley will be accompanied by Wells MP Tessa Munt and Green Party leader and MP Caroline Lucas. The Department of Energy is at 3 Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2AW. More information in the Stop Hinkley press release at http://stopnuclearpoweruk.net/content/stop-hinkley-campaign-presents-petition-government-against-edf%E2%80%99s-nuclear-plans.
Things are also hotting up at Wylfa, where Horizon, a joint venture of German utility companies RWE and E.on, is planning to build two to three new nuclear reactors. Horizon continue to bully the Jones family of Caerdegog and have applied for compulsory powers to ascertain the suitability of their land for construction. Horizon Nuclear Power (HNP) recently applied to Ofgem for Section D of their Electricity Generation Licence to be “switched on”. Immediately upon approval, HNP applied to Ofgem for consent to exercise their new exploratory rights under the Electricity Act 1989. This would allow a generation licence holder to enter and survey any land to establish whether it would be suitable for the construction of an electricity generation station. It would also give them the power to execute their authority to make compulsory land purchase. On Thursday afternoon 17th November, Richard Jones and his family received a letter in English only from Ofgem informing them of the rights recently granted to HNP to gain access to their land at Caerdegog. Ofgem have failed in their duty under the Welsh Language Act to provide the Jones family with the documents in their own language. Furthermore it is considered unreasonable for any objections to be lodged within a time limit of five working days especially in view of the legal content of the correspondence (see the official consultation at http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Pages/MoreInformation.aspx?file=Consultation%20on%20Horizon%20Application%20for%20Consent%20to%20use%20Exploratory%20Rights.pdf&refer=Licensing/Work).
Horizon have continued to say that they would only use compulsory powers as a last resort yet they executed their newly acquired authority within days of it being granted.
On behalf of the family, Richard Jones said: “We as a family will resist Horizon’s bullying tactics in the attempted destruction of our heritage, our livelihood and our future.”
See the press release of People Against Wylfa B at http://stopnuclearpoweruk.net/content/nuclear-monster-continues-torment-local-family.
The new action to surround Hinkley, and the 24 hour blockade, will need a lot of money to make them happen. While we don't start with nothing, we are nowhere near what we will need. We are presently working on a budget, but one thing is clear: Please give generously. You can donate online at http://stopnewnuclear.org.uk/donate, or you can send a cheque made payable to Stop New Nuclear to:
Stop New Nuclear
c/o 5 Caledonian Road
London N1 9DX
Thank you!
November 25, 2011
A mass protest halted contractors who had started to build a 200 metre-long transport depot on a public green.
November 25, 2011
A mass protest halted contractors who had started to build a 200 metre-long transport depot on a public green.
The compound, near Simonsway in Wythenshawe, is being built to contain materials while Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) construct the Metrolink line to Manchester Airport.
It will also contain machinery, a workers canteen and be floodlit at night.
But furious residents refused to allow workers to put up the building on Brownley Road claiming they were not consulted and do not want it on their doorstep.
And their protest stopped the work, and residents said they will chain themselves to trees and fencing if the workers return on Monday and attempt to continue.
Alan Birchenall, 63, said: “The children use this area all the time – especially after school.
“It's safe because it's not near the road. The signs say the Metrolink won't be finished till 2016 so it could be here for four or five years.
“We saw this fencing going up so we called a residents meeting on Thursday night and there was about 200 people there.
“They were all very angry. There are plenty of other sites nearby where they could have this.”
Around 100 protesters surrounded the builders on Friday and blocked their truck until they agreed to leave.
November 30, 2011
Alan Birchenall, a member of the Peel Estate Home Watch scheme who co-ordinated the protest, hailed the result as a victory for community action.
He said: "It just shows that when you are organised you can change things.
"It’s about people being proud of their area."
December 13, 2011
Residents who brought traffic to a standstill with a rush-hour protest are celebrating after plans to introduce a raised tram track were scrapped.
In a protest they walked across a pedestrian crossing for more than an hour, blocking the road. They were furious at Metrolink bosses, accusing them of trying to force through the plans which they claimed would cause traffic chaos and lengthy delays. But the proposals have now been dropped
