219:. Others were students, unemployed people, part-time workers and people taking time off from work to protest. In 1994, a local comprehensive school teacher, Helen Anscombe, founded "The Third Battle of Newbury", an umbrella group of organisations against the bypass. The name actually came from a meeting held by local townspeople and was the suggestion of a name by a local historian who cared deeply that the battlefields of the Civil War stayed safe to visitors.
22:
204:
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route of the bypass, with names such as 'Skyward', 'Rickety Bridge', 'Granny Ash', 'Quercus Circus', 'Sea View', 'Babble Brook', 'Radical Fluff', 'Pixie
Village' and 'Heartbreak Hotel'. Peter Faulding was called in by the authorities to plan and safely remove the environmental protesters from a network of tunnels along the proposed route of the Newbury Bypass.
63:, and the felling of nearly 10,000 mature trees to make way for the construction of the road, led to some of the largest anti-road protests in European history. Around 7,000 people demonstrated on the site of the bypass route in some way and over 800 arrests were made. The cost of policing the protest (known as 'Operation Prospect' and run jointly by
290:
Evictions of the protest camps, tree felling and undergrowth clearance work begin on 9 January 1996 and conflicts between security guards and protesters were widely reported in the
British media. By the following month the number of protesters had increased and there were more than 20 camps along the
222:
Although the majority of local residents were in favour of building the bypass, a sizeable minority were against it. A protest group of local businesses opposed to the building of the road was formed, which named itself 'CAMBUS'. The split of opinion in and around
Newbury concerning the building of
294:
A firm specialising in industrial rope access, Richard Turner Ltd, was hired to provide climbers to evict protesters from the trees. Professional climbers condemned the actions of the company, questioning the safety of the procedures they were using. They presented the company with a special
418:
Analysis since the construction of the bypass has shown that instead of the predicted 47% reduction in road deaths due to the new road, there was a 67% increase (from 6 to 10) in the five years after it opened. However, the total number of casualties fell by 32% (from 455 to 311).
125:
The first
Newbury bypass was built in 1963; however, by the 1980s this in turn proved insufficient to cope with the huge volume of traffic travelling through the Newbury area. In 1981 a new road to be built to the west of Newbury, mainly following the path of the disused
391:
Following the extensive protests over the construction of the road, environmental concerns became much more of an important issue to civil engineers. The
Newbury bypass itself was built with extra environmental features in an attempt to reduce the impact of the road.
71:) had reached approximately £5 million by December 1996. An additional £30 million was spent on private security guards, security fencing, and security lighting while the works were in progress, of which only £7 million was budgeted for in the original contract.
180:— a legal requirement incorporated into British law two weeks after the start of the 1988 public enquiry. However, the inquiry decision was made in accordance with legislation at the time. The plans were passed in a closed session of
434:
In
January 2016, a BBC magazine article commemorating the events of 20 years earlier showed 200,000 new trees starting to mature and the mutual respect but not affection between the former protagonists. One of the protesters,
659:
The Third Battle of
Newbury will soon commence, thanks to a cowardly u-turn by the former transport Secretary Brian Mawhinney – who gave the go ahead for the by-pass just half an hour before leaving office in the Cabinet
307:
said "If we, as a community, do not disown and ostracise these mercenaries and renegades, we are undermining the reason for our own existence and helping accelerate the destruction of places we hold most dear".
422:
The same report concluded that the levels of traffic on the old road had not fallen as much as might have been expected, possibly because of traffic being able to use it for other reasons. In 2006, the
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The bypass led to immense protests in an attempt to halt the felling of trees (including mature oak, ash, and beech) and the start of building work. A number of protesters were veterans from the
287:. A network of tunnels 10 feet (3 m) down was dug at Snelsmore Common in the belief that heavy machinery would not drive over them in case they collapsed, burying the protesters inside.
330:
in objection to the road. Environmentalists claimed that this was the largest ever single demonstration against road-building in
Britain. Two of the marchers were the television presenters
195:, announced that it would be delayed pending a further review. On 5 July 1995 Mawhinney announced that the building of the road was to proceed, and then resigned half an hour later.
268:. Around October 1995 protesters set up a third encampment at Reddings Copse. By December 1995 there were three further camps at The Chase, Elmore Plantation and Rack Marsh on the
158:
407:, was moved to another location to allow construction of the road to go ahead. However, in July 2006 it was reported that the species had become locally extinct at the new site.
74:
The protest was known in some quarters as the "Third Battle of
Newbury", a name which was also adopted by one of the main protest groups. The name was chosen in reference to the
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697:
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559:, 10 January 1997. The total cost of £4.842 million (to December 1996) broke down as £4.16 million for Thames Valley Police and £0.682 million for Hampshire Constabulary.
381:. The runway, once one of the largest in Europe was broken up and removed (except for one centre section) as part of the effort to return the common to its former state.
122:. The American Bridge continued in use until it was replaced in 2001, but post-war traffic increases meant that the town centre and its bridges needed by-passing.
303:
said "Climbers have an enviable environmental record, and the vast majority will be outraged at being associated with actions of this kind." Climber and writer
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Clearance work began on 2 August 1995 when bulldozers demolished six empty buildings in the path of the bypass – three houses, a railway signal box, a lodge at
882:
326:
On 15 February 1996 around 5,000 people from around the UK marched for 2 miles (3 kilometres) along the route from the largest camp at
Snelsmore Common to
415:
Due to the cost of policing the Newbury Bypass construction, the UK Government abandoned construction plans for a further 77 bypasses across the country.
176:
into the plans was held in 1988, which found in favour of the road. Opponents argued that the decision was flawed and possibly illegal as there was no
365:, and private security firms. The road was eventually finished after thirty-four months in November 1998 and now provides a high-speed section of the
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809:
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that traffic had returned to previous levels: the Highways Agency's rejoinder being that the road had reduced traffic problems in the town.
369:. It cost £104 million, against an original contract price of £74 million. The Highways Agency blamed the cost blow-out on the protesters.
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534:
59:
Between January 1996 and April 1996 the clearance of approximately 360 acres (150 ha) of land including 120 acres (49 ha) of
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347:(10 March 1996) found that 53% of respondents thought that "work should stop immediately to allow time for alternatives to be tried".
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The road was originally approved for construction to begin in 1994. However, the then Secretary of State for Transport,
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this north-south traffic was considered to be of sufficient strategic importance that a second temporary bridge, the
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Another method used by protesters to stop the clearance work was the digging of tunnels, a tactic borrowed from the
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the road was regularly demonstrated in the lively debate seen in the letters page of the local newspaper, the
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Despite the protests, site clearance and road construction proceeded under heavy security provided by the
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The first camp was at Snelsmore Common. Around September 1995 a further encampment grew up alongside the
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133:, was proposed to bypass the town centre. This route was very controversial because it ran through three
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On Monday 29 January there was a public meeting at the Waterside Centre in Newbury organised jointly by
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From July 1995 protesters began to occupy the land that was scheduled for clearance, a tactic known as
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was a frequent visitor to the camps and would document many of the protesters struggles in his album
249:, which were also known as 'twigloos', while others occupied home-made tents on the ground made from
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addressed the crowd of around 400 people and voiced his opposition to the building of the bypass.
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to promote the Road Traffic Reduction Bill. At the meeting, environmentalist and broadcaster Dr
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nature reserve. It was also found that areas of the proposed bypass route were home to a rare
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137:: Snelsmore Common plus the Rivers Lambourn and Kennet; Penn Wood which was part of the
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797:, Highways Agency Press Release, 17 November 1998, NB348/98. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
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53:
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in Berkshire, England. It is located to the west of the town and forms part of the
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Stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in England
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338:, who lived nearby. The protest was peaceful and there were no arrests.
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856:"In photos: UK environmental activists sounding the alarm in the '90s"
557:
Friends of the Earth Press Release, Anniversary of the Newbury Protest
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Much of the aggregate used in the by-pass was from the decommissioned
21:
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295:'downside' award at the first British Mountain Festival held at
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Newbury has been on the route of north-south traffic across the
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hearing, which opponents criticised as a "lack of democracy".
761:
Vidal, John (17 February 1996). "Mountaineers back protest".
250:
162:
245:, in an effort to stop the felling of trees. Many lived in
1045:
Documentary about the 1996 Newbury Bypass Protests (2018)
673:"BBC On This Day - 1996: Green groups join bypass battle"
118:, was built in case the Town Bridge was destroyed in an
38:
The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road (A34) (Newbury Bypass)
110:
and the current bridge dates from 1772. As long ago as
919:"Did the Newbury bypass tree-huggers change anything?"
388:'s Overall Award for Outstanding Structures in 1999.
384:The concrete structures on the bypass received the
737:
689:"Activists to go underground in last-ditch battle"
687:
600:
234:for deaf children and a prefabricated church near
645:. Brighton: SchNews. 21 July 1995. Archived from
533:. COI West Midlands. 17 November 1998. NB348/98.
1051:
447:to look at alternatives to building more roads.
983:Road Raging: Top Tips for Wrecking Roadbuilding
443:) claimed the protest had enabled the incoming
880:A34 Newbury Bypass – 5 Years After, Evaluation
853:
775:
735:
598:
889:, Atkins, July 2006, accessed 19 October 2006
78:battles that took place close to the town in
962:Nine Miles: Two Winters of Anti-Road Protest
685:
602:"Snails that held up a bypass have died out"
427:defended the scheme from allegations by the
207:Eviction of the Tot Hill camp, February 1996
948:Copse: The Cartoon Book of Tree Protesting
739:"Newbury climbers are 'betraying friends'"
555:Policing costs to December 1996 quoted in
272:. Protesters in many of the camps claimed
807:Concrete Society historical award winners
1060:Anti-road protests in the United Kingdom
854:Coroneo-Seaman, Joe (23 November 2022).
299:on 17 February 1996. Andy MacNae of the
202:
20:
521:
519:
470:commemorated the conflict in its song "
128:Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
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1040:Map of Newbury bypass tree-camps, 1996
825:
450:
102:. A bridge on the site of the current
40:, is a 9-mile (14 km) stretch of
1017:1996: Green groups join bypass battle
916:
828:"End of the road for protected snail"
760:
1035:Third Battle of Newbury in the press
679:
516:
135:Sites of Special Scientific Interest
776:Jackie Markham (25 February 2016).
712:"Our pedigree in protester removal"
562:
537:from the original on 10 August 2016
149:registered battlefield site of the
13:
750:from the original on 18 June 2022.
700:from the original on 18 June 2022.
613:from the original on 18 June 2022.
580:from the original on 15 March 2020
484:Road protest in the United Kingdom
215:protests over the building of the
143:Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
14:
1106:
1003:
778:"Newbury bypass protests in 1996"
686:Danny Penman (28 November 1995).
429:Campaign to Protect Rural England
341:A national poll published in the
736:Charles Arthur (10 March 1996).
1085:Squatting in the United Kingdom
917:Serck, Linda (9 January 2016).
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847:
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599:Karl Mansfield (27 July 2006).
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178:Environmental Impact Assessment
106:has existed since at least the
1090:1998 establishments in England
716:Specialist Group International
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635:
617:
592:
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399:colony, previously located at
301:British Mountaineering Council
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990:Birds, Booze & Bulldozers
826:Weaver, Matt (27 July 2006).
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441:Campaign for Better Transport
1080:Squats in the United Kingdom
89:
7:
477:
198:
10:
1111:
950:. Orange Dog Productions.
940:
816:, accessed 19 October 2006
795:"A34 Newbury Bypass Opens"
527:"A34 Newbury Bypass Opens"
410:
157:in 1643; and The Chase, a
904:27 September 2007 at the
885:11 November 2006 at the
812:8 September 2006 at the
276:rights through use of a
232:Mary Hare Grammar School
25:The Newbury bypass near
1010:Newbury Bypass Factfile
439:(since working for the
397:Desmoulin's whorl snail
167:Desmoulin's whorl snail
151:first Battle of Newbury
139:North Wessex Downs AONB
988:Styles, Peter, (2008)
455:Musician and activist
363:Hampshire Constabulary
253:branches covered with
208:
69:Hampshire Constabulary
36:, officially known as
29:
946:Evans, Kate, (1998),
494:M11 link road protest
354:led by the Assistant
262:Kennet and Avon Canal
206:
56:. It opened in 1998.
24:
1024:Newbury bypass opens
981:Road Alert! (1997),
969:Battle for the Trees
960:Hindle, Jim, (2006)
643:"Newbury nightmare!"
574:newburyhistory.co.uk
352:Thames Valley Police
313:Friends of the Earth
257:known as 'benders'.
65:Thames Valley Police
1075:Protests in England
629:Reclaim The Streets
625:"RTS Newbury Pages"
576:. Newbury History.
451:Cultural references
379:RAF Greenham Common
344:Newbury Weekly News
225:Newbury Weekly News
1070:Roads in Berkshire
1065:Newbury, Berkshire
675:. 18 January 2004.
209:
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1015:BBC On This Day:
998:978 0-9554634-5-7
466:The English band
445:Labour government
155:English Civil War
76:English Civil War
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971:. Godhaven Ink.
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653:8 September
461:Interpreter
457:Julian Cope
317:Green Party
247:tree houses
217:M3 motorway
165:, known as
153:during the
104:Town Bridge
44:road which
1054:Categories
928:10 January
660:reshuffle.
510:References
401:Rack Marsh
305:Jim Perrin
184:, after a
182:Parliament
98:since the
27:Donnington
721:8 January
359:Ian Blair
297:Llandudno
285:Viet Cong
278:Section 6
274:squatters
255:tarpaulin
186:pro forma
90:Proposals
1095:Bypasses
923:BBC News
902:Archived
883:Archived
810:Archived
748:Archived
698:Archived
611:Archived
584:13 March
578:Archived
535:Archived
499:Fairmile
478:See also
315:and the
280:notice.
264:and the
199:Protests
120:air raid
61:woodland
54:A34 road
46:bypasses
1029:SchNEWS
941:Reading
839:27 July
541:25 June
411:Outcome
145:); the
50:Newbury
1027:(from
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975:
954:
865:13 May
504:Swampy
405:Bagnor
361:, the
328:Bagnor
251:hazel
163:snail
994:ISBN
973:ISBN
952:ISBN
930:2016
867:2024
841:2006
723:2018
655:2017
586:2018
543:2016
395:The
334:and
84:1644
82:and
80:1643
67:and
32:The
474:".
403:in
367:A34
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