Protestors have raised £2,000 towards a £15,000 fighting fund to mount a legal challenge to close Mill Road bridge, Cambridge. Friends Of Mill Road Bridge says support is needed to pursue their legal case.
“Following the successful legal challenge of the Mill Road TRO, the group Friends of Mill Road Bridge succeeded in obtaining a quashing order from the High Court,” said a spokesperson.
(Link below for GoFundMe)
Fundraiser by Friends Of Mill Road Bridge 2 : Keep Mill Road Bridge Open For All!
“However, the county council immediately relaunched the exact same TRO with slightly adapted wording and proceeded to attempt to ram-raid it through the Highways & Transport Committee and are now expecting to close the bridge again, scheduling works to begin on 11th November.
“We were given very little time to respond, which was their intention to out-manoeuvre us, but we acted quickly, and Friends of Mill Road Bridge regrouped and sought legal advice from the same team who conducted the first legal claim.
“And having established that there are grounds for further legal action, the group has reformed and given instructions to pursue a second legal claim, under the name: FRIENDS OF MILL ROAD BRIDGE 2!”
The spokesperson added; “On the 11th of October, the new TRO was signed by the council. The council kept quiet about this until 23rd October, which meant we lost 2 weeks of the 6 week window within which to file claim. 6 weeks became 4 weeks.
“Then we learned that the council had scheduled the works to begin on the 11th of November – 2 weeks before the end of the deadline! So, 4 weeks became 2 weeks!
“We had been pushed into the tightest of tight time frames imaginable within which to act and respond, but we made it.
“As of the 4th of November, the Pre-Action Letter has been sent and received.”
The spokesperson said: “There will be another hearing in the High Court at some point soon, to determine the legality or lack thereof of the council’s continued determined effort to close Mill Road Bridge against all the evidence and lack of supporting data, and manipulation of the process to speed-run this thing to completion.
“If we succeed this time, it might kill the thing completely for many years.”
The grounds are based on:
– The reasons for the TRO are not supported by evidence
– The reasons given not legally adequate
– Council ignored local petition that ran during the consultation period
– Council granted the TRO for improper motive, ie, the substantial funding arrangement that the Department for Transport made with the Mayor of the CPCA
“These are the grounds which the council must answer and defend, otherwise agree to quash the TRO again, and this time without immediately relaunching it again,” said the spokesperson.
“We succeeded with the previous claim, but we never expected that the council would have been so crafty in its approach to suddenly spring the same TRO back up again, and their attempts to rush this through means the previous success is at risk of counting for nothing.
“As before, WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! We need donations to pay for the legal fees.
“As before, we are a constituted group whose financial statements are transparent, and all funds raised will be going directly into fighting this legal challenge.”
Donations can be made through GoFundMe.
Fundraiser by Friends Of Mill Road Bridge 2 : Keep Mill Road Bridge Open For All!
“The closure of Mill Road Bridge will affect us all and is one part of a wider agenda to clamp down on freedom of movement in Cambridge and the restricting of the private vehicle,” said the spokesperson.
“After Mill Road is closed, they have their sights on Coldham’s Lane, and many other roads, all in an incremental effort to eventually necessitate a Congestion Charge, or some similar scheme which they have long sought to bring into Cambridge.
“These plans are not viable, not wanted and not asked for, but are being imposed from above.
“If you want to put a stop to the council and their plans to close Mill Road bridge to through-traffic and strangle freedom of movement and gradually restrict the use of private vehicles in Cambridge, please donate today, and tell your friends and neighbours about this also, and help to spread the word around Cambridge and beyond.
“This fight is not over yet, and this might be our last chance to KEEP MILL ROAD BRIDGE OPEN FOR ALL!!!”
News of the fighting fund prompted a response from MR4P ( mill road 4 people ), a group of over 1,000 local residents and traders “working together to get the best Mill Road for everyone.
“We want Mill Road to be an attractive, safe and successful shopping street, retaining its unique atmosphere, independent shops, cafés and restaurants, popular and accessible to all residents and visitors”.
In a statement today they said: “We are disappointed that a small, unaccountable group of people has launched another legal challenge against the Mill Road bus gate after the failure of their previous attempt.
“Sadly, local council tax payers will now be faced with yet more costs to defend a decision that has been shown in not one but three consultations to be the wish of local people.
“We call upon the county council to continue with its published schedule of works to install the bus gate.
“We are confident that a challenge based on misinformation and innuendo will not meet the criteria for a legal injunction.”
Their statement added: “It is also important to note that the scheduled safety work near the bridge, such as the installation of a traffic island and widening of the pavements, is not part of the bus gate Traffic Regulation Order.
“This work has already been agreed and cannot be halted by any legal challenge, as has already been made clear by a High Court judge.”
