Sat 2 Feb: “Grannies’ Dinghy” Photo Call

February 2, 2013 by combehavendefenders

Photo copyright: Marta Lefler

Press Release
Combe Haven Defenders [1]
1 February 2013

“GRANNIES’ KAYAKS” SET SAIL TO SAVE COMBE HAVEN, IN ROAD PROTEST
“Team Granny” test drive the new Bexhill-Hastings Link Road (BHLR)!

Saturday 2 February, 1pm: Local grandmothers launch their latest peaceful protest to demonstrate opposition to the new road which will be built on a flood plain.

The grandmothers will assemble at 12.45pm in the car park by Crowhurst Recreation Ground near The Plough (TN33 9AW) before heading south to Combe Haven Valley for a photo call at 1pm [2]. Pictures of their “Grannie Tree” appeared in the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail.

The £100m road project is one of over forty “zombie roads” declared dead years ago and now resuscitated as part of Britain’s largest road-building programme in 25 years [3,4].

Despite the government’s own advisers viewing the road as a waste of taxpayers’ money (the road comes in at more than £15,000 per metre), the chancellor blithely rubber-stamped it. [5]

The peaceful protest against the BHLR has run for 50 days, with 28 arrests, (including 5 senior women) and seized national attention [6].

Local grandmother Rosamond Palmer said: “ComBe Haven floods, it is a flood plain and therefore a stupid place to build a road. As local senior residents we want to express our opposition. Fortunately being sensible older women, we brought our boats!”

NOTES
[1] http://www.combehavendefenders.org.uk
[2] https://combehavendefenders.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/sat-19-jan-grannies-photoshoot-2/
[3] See ‘Controversial ‘zombie roads’ scheme to be resuscitated’, Guardian, 10 October 2012, http://tinyurl.com/zombieroads
[4] http://bettertransport.org.uk/media/26-Oct-roads-report
[5] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2013/jan/25/bexhill-link-road-protest-environment-ledger
[6] https://combehavendefenders.wordpress.com/recent-media-coverage/