PR 3190
TRAM SCHEME TO BE FORMALLY ABANDONED
Hampshire County Council's Cabinet has reaffirmed its commitment to the people of Gosport as it looks to find ways to make the journey into and out of the town less of a headache.
The Cabinet insisted that some action to relieve the severe congestion that cripples the A32 every day will be taken whilst recognising that there are few opportunities to improve flows. In the medium and long term other potential solutions along the former rail line are being investigated. These could include a guided bus system, but without a tunnel under the harbour.
Plans for the tram scheme linking Fareham, Gosport and Portsmouth were refused by Government a year ago on the grounds of cost. Now it will be formally abandoned by Cabinet once the route has been fully safeguarded, to protect alternative schemes in the future.
Leader of the County Council, Cllr Ken Thornber, said: "It saddens me that we must put the final nail in the coffin of the South Hampshire Rapid Transit scheme. It took years of planning to win approval from Government back in 2001, only for it to pull out two years later citing high costs. The scheme had the best value for money of all the tram schemes under consideration.
"The County Council and Portsmouth City Council worked very hard to reduce costs, as requested, to no avail. The planning and compulsory purchase powers have now expired, leaving us with no option but to draw a line under the current tram scheme after more than a decade.
"The blame for the abandonment of the tram scheme, in my opinion, lays squarely with Government. We did all we could to meet its demands but it has not only let us down but also the 76,500 people who live in Gosport.
"While I'm very disappointed that it has come to this, the County Council hasn't abandoned the people of Gosport. We'll be looking now to implement some short term measures to help alleviate congestion on the A32 while we look at other options. Nothing has been ruled in or out at this stage."
For more information, log on to http://www.hants.gov.uk/decisions/decisions-docs/061127-cabine-R1120160746.html and for the news release issued at the time Government refused to fund the revised bid, log on to http://www.hants.gov.uk/press/2005/pr2489.html.
Looking after Hampshire, Looking out for you
For media enquiries please contact:
Sarette Martin, Press Officer
Tel: 01962 846028
Email: sarette.martin@hants.gov.uk
28 November 2006