Set your video: Longdendale Bypass TV feature tomorrow

Attention Bypass campaigners (both for and against!): tomorrow morning at 11.40 a.m. on BBC1, Countryfile have a slot about the Bypass. They have filmed both sides making their case in a programme which largely dedicated to the Peak District. The Countryfile website blurb, entitled 'Peak District Roads', is as follows:

The Labour Government has been accused of breaking pre-election promises because of controversial plans for new roads in some of Britain's best-loved landscapes. In the Peak District, there are proposals for a £184m bypass to relieve traffic congestion in three villages on the edge of the National Park. Critics say new roads planned for the Peak District and other protected areas will encourage greater car use.

It would be useful if anyone with the technical know-how could record this portion of the programme and upload it to YouTube, to enable us to feature it here. Please let us know if you can do this by leaving a comment on this item.

Elementary my dear Watson*

"Watson, you amaze me. How did you get yourself into this mess? This infernal scheme must not progress any further. Do the decent thing old chap..."

Our friends at Save Swallows Wood have today's exclusive: the Highways Agency (HA) have announced dates for the Public Inquiry (though as yet, only in letters to those who wrote in to object/support - a Press Release is yet to appear on their website). The timetable is as follows:

1st May 2007 - Pre-inquiry meeting at Stalybridge Civic Hall, Trinity Street, Stalybrige, SK15 2BN, starting at 10.00 am. The meeting will be presided over by Mr John Watson BSc, FIHT, MICE, MCMI (appointed by the Secretary of State and soon to be Google'd and dissected here mercilessly!)

26th June 2007 - Start of the Public Inquiry

First thoughts - if John Watson is in on this, does that mean we get Sherlock Holmes too?

Secondly - the HA have acted very swiftly since the close of the consultation, although TMBC's trumpeting of a May date for the PI a few months ago shows the timetable has been put back yet again.

Thirdly - they surely haven't counted all those new objections yet?!

Expect more comment and analysis soon.

(* incidentally, this phrase is incorrectly attributed to Holmes, as all his real fans know)