Plans for the new river crossing were in great danger of stalling and the Sustrans Connect 2 Big Lottery Money being lost. However, on 17 July 2009, Dorset County Council Cabinet gave new hope to the project as follows:-
“Cabinet considered the recommendation of the Roads and Rights of Way Committee and resolved this morning as follows:
(a) That the Cabinet authorise entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with Bournemouth Borough Council and Sustrans to secure Connect2 funding for the Throop to Hurn project.
(b) That the Director for Environment, after consultation with the Cabinet members for Environment and Highways and Transportation, be authorised to identify a route that will achieve the policy objective of a convenient link between Throop and Hurn.
The Cabinet was mindful of the long standing objective in the LTP to secure this link and the danger of losing considerable Big Lottery funding. Officers are exploring what alternative solutions are now achievable but Cabinet has not ruled out returning to Route 2”
A further development is now being pursued by Bournemouth Borough Council and supported by Councillor Whittaker, using Pigshoot Lane as the preferred crossing point.
Extract of e-mail from James Duncan, Head of Transportation, BBC, to Cllr Whittaker:-
“..we are doing our best to make sure that the momentum on the Connect 2 route is not lost. The first stage is for Dorset CC to select the route from the various options on the north side of the river. We had previously supported “Route 2” but Dorset is now inclined to use Pigshoot Lane. To a considerable extent this is because they believe that this is still a public highway and thus free from the public inquiry that could be forced on them if the objectors continue their resistance to “Route 2”. (“Route 2” is just a footpath and would need to be upgraded to a bridleway.) It is possible - and they will be checking - that the public highway rights through the ford across the river have never been extinguished even though it has been impassable for some time in anything other than a tractor.
My view is that we should support the change to Pigshoot Lane as this will enable the ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ to be signed as quickly as possible and get a legal commitment to the scheme - and thus avoid the risk of losing the funding from the Lottery. Although the section concerned is entirely within Dorset, they have asked for our formal confirmation that we will support their choice of Pigshoot Lane. This note is to request that you endorse this course of action, and to ask if you feel that anyone else in Bournemouth should also be asked for their view”.
Make your views known, contact:-