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The Newbury bypass is a road which bypasses the town of Newbury, Berkshire, forming part of the A34 road, which runs from Southampton to the Midlands.
During the 1990s the building of the road led to some of the largest anti-road protests in European history, with some 800 arrests being made. They have been dubbed the third battle of Newbury, the first two being civil war battles.
Proposals
The first road to bypass Newbury was built in 1963 however by the 1980s this proved insufficient to traffic demand. Therefore, in 1981 a new bypass was proposed.
The planned route mainly followed the path of the disused Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Junction Railway, however it also ran through four Sites of Special Scientific Interest, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as well as a civil war battlefield.
A rare snail, the Desmoulin's Whorl Snail also had a major colony along the route.
A public inquiry into the plans was held in 1988, however it found in favour of the road.
The plans were passed in a closed session of parliament, after a pro forma hearing, a procedure which many considered to be undemocratic.
Conflict
The proposed bypass led to the largest environmental conflict in European history, with some 800 arrests being made in total. Many protesters were veterans from the Twyford Down protests over the building of the M3 motorway.
On February 11, 1996 5,000 people marched along the route in objection to the road.
Some protesters took to living in tree top shacks for up to a year in advance, they became known as tree sitters.
However, despite the protests, the road was eventually completed in 1998.
Aftermath
The protests led to the government's road-building programme being curtailled, the threat of building more roads such as the Newbury bypass became less likely. The A34 road itself, around Newbury was also fitted with more environmentally friendly features than any other road in an effort to appease people.
See also
- A34 road
- Newbury, Berkshire
- Similar protests: