It is pleasing to report that the Secretary of State for Transport has decided that it will not be necessary to hold an inquiry or public hearing in regard of the application for the proposed tramway extension to North Station via Talbot Road. The application submitted has satisfied the powers that be, that the written representations procedure will adequately cover the objections which have been received, and it is felt that the case for the extension is strong enough to proceed to the next stage in the decision-making process.
This will save a lot of time and potentially a lot of money from what is already an agonising process while we wait for a final decision on the proposal, and hopefully will allow construction work to get underway earlier than would have been possible had a public inquiry been requested. No doubt the various people who had raised issues with the extension plan will be less than happy with this development, but it is pleasing to see that the benefits to be gained from an extension seem to be outweighing these alleged concerns.
Another step. When its system you follow closely really does hit home mind what slow excruciatingly frustrating process that has developed over time to ensure progress is stifled & often curtailed. Imagine if the time and money wasted jumping through ridiculous hurdles most of which completely utterly pointless and serve absolutely nobody other than the industry that been created thanks to the sheer ineptitude of successive governments to reform process.
Sorry Christopher but it’s democracy. If we didn’t have these procedures every objector would be going to the High Court seeking judicial review of the decision-maker’s conclusions. It still happens even so; think about the Ordsall Chord saga.
With respect the process serves neither the objector or the scheme holder. The protracted nature actual hampers genuine objections & concerns from been dealt with properly. The data collected that aids the decision making process becomes outdated by the time it scrutinised. Nobody is suggesting scrutiny & due process far from it. Needs urgent reform. The hurdles & process is so complex and time consuming its actually barrier to proper democratic scrutiny.
As usual, the process drags on with the possibility of the project being cancelled at every new stage. Sadly. the red tape has never been got rid of despite all the government talk of streamlining processes and getting infrastructure built. And because it’s home-grown British red tape, Brexit will make no difference to the decades-long process which on the Continent would not be tolerated.
Same with Manchester Metrolink’s proposed Trafford Centre route