M25 link road condemned

m25 link road

North Londoners have put a stop to plans for an M25 link road promoted by Enfield Council and local businesses for 6 years.

The Northern Gateway Access Road (NGAR) would have buried Rammey marsh - home to bee orchids and nightingales.

Image ©
DigitalVision

But it would have done little to regenerate the area.

Local alliances saved the day

Friends of the Earth local groups - in Enfield and Tottenham and Wood Green - joined forces with others - such as the Enfield Lock Action Group - to stop the road.

Together, they proved at the public inquiry how environmentally damaging the road would be.

The planning inspector subsequently condemned the road as deeply flawed and concluded that:

The alleged benefits are speculative and very probably slight.

NGAR Public Inquiry Report

The Secretary of State, John Prescott, has upheld the inquiry's findings.

Looking to the future

John Prescott's decision to stop the link road is welcome. It is time for the London Borough of Enfield to take note and find long-term ways of improving the area rather than building environmentally damaging roads.

Friends of the Earth says