Green group protest at 'madness' of road plans for south-west

Environmental groups protested against proposals for a road-building programme in the South-west yesterday, claiming the work would blight the landscape and damage tourism.

A consortium including Friends of the Earth and the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) says the plans risk turning the region into a "drive-through cream tea shop".

Alistair Darling, the Secretary of State for Transport, will decide within the next few weeks whether to approve recommendations to build and widen roads through some of the most beautiful areas of the South-west, including designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as the Blackdown Hills in Devon and West Wiltshire Downs. The proposals were put forward by the South West Regional Assembly.

The campaign groups, which also include the Ramblers' Association, Transport 2000, the Cyclists Touring Club and the Woodland Trust, are calling on the Government to reject the plans and instead improve other transport facilities in the area, especially rail and cycling routes.

The directors of the campaign groups emphasised their point by holding a cream tea party in the middle of the busy Cartgate roundabout on the A303 near Yeovil, Somerset, yesterday.

Charles Secrett, executive director of Friends of the Earth, said focusing on road building rather than seeking alternative transport solutions was a mistake. "Tourism in the South-west is built on its beautiful landscape. So driving new roads through some of the South-west's finest areas would be economic and environmental madness.

"The region does have a transport problem, but this should be tackled by investing in public transport," he said.

Kate Parminter, the CPRE's director, said small villages risked becoming congested. She argued that if the Government gave in to pressure to build a second strategic road corridor to the region, the South-west would become less attractive to tourists.

"Somerset would become a drive-through while Cornwall's tiny villages would suffer even more congestion," Ms Parminter said.

Graham Bradley, of the Woodland Trust, said the road-building plans could cause serious damage to "irreplaceable" woodlands, which had developed over 400 years.