Conflict practice questions! Q1. What is national level conflict? Q2. Give three examples of how non-violent conflicts can be expressed? Q3. What is insurrection? Q4. What is a win-win outcome when a conflict is resolved? 8 Marker!! Outline the different ways to resolve a conflict

Local Resource Conflict Case Study – Newbury Bypass A bypass is a road that avoids busy town or city centres.

The Newbury Bypass Why was the bypass proposed? Simply to solve traffic problems! In the 1980s the volume of traffic passing through Newbury in Berkshire was around 50000 vehicles per day and congestion was a serious problem (even though Newbury already had a bypass called the A34). In 1982 four possible routes for a new bypass to reduce traffic through the town centre were proposed. A public consultation was undertaken which included exhibitions of the possible routes as well as the distribution of brochures and questionnaires. In 1984 the UK Government’s Department of Transport announced its recommendation of the western route – this involved building an additional 13.5km long section of the A34 to bypass the town.

Objections to the proposal Locals Who would object to the bypass? Archaeologists Environmentalists Historians

Historians and Archaeologists Locals Many local people believed the bypass wouldn’t solve the traffic problems, partly because a lot of the traffic was local (travelling within the Newbury area). They thought that other methods could solve the traffic problems, e.g. traffic calming measures, bus lanes, and park and ride schemes. Historians and Archaeologists Environmentalists The bypass also crossed two civil war battle sites and 12 archaeological sites There were many environmental concerns over the route and its construction. For example: The proposed route crossed three Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) Snelsmore Common, the River Kennet and the River Lambourn. It crossed six county wildlife sites and the Rack Marsh nature reserve. 10000 trees would be felled. The habitats of protected species such as the dormouse and the rare Desmoulin’s whorl snail would be destroyed.

People campaigned against the bypass in different ways… Stick in the sheet… Now read the 6 bullet points and underline in each one The people campaigning. How they campaigned. The issues they were highlighting.

…but the bypass also had supporters? A large number of local residents supported the building of the bypass and a group of them formed the Newbury Bypass Supporters Association. They gathered a petition of 6000 signatures of people who supported the bypass. The four local councils in the area supported the bypass (although some objections were expressed, e.g. Berkshire County Council’s archaeological officer raised concerns about the route going through the Kennet River Valley SSSI). The local MP (David Rendal, a Liberal Democrat elected in 1993) was a strong supported of building the bypass.

A Public Inquiry and a Review were held An official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom. Going over the evidence again several years later to see if a better option is available The public inquiry was held in 1988. this involved 147 witnesses giving evidence to a government appointed inspector. Support for the bypass was expressed by four councils and the Newbury Bypass Supporters Association. Opposition to the bypass was expressed by SPEWBY, a group for local farmers, a parish council, the National Trust (who owned one of the woodlands) and the National Rivers Authority. In 1990, following the inquiry, the government announced the bypass would go ahead despite the opposition. The conflict continued, so in 1994 the transport minister announced a review by the Highways Agency where alternatives to the bypass would be considered. Again it was decided that the bypass would continue.

Work began on the bypass in 1996 After the review, preparations to clear the bypass route began. The Highways Agency obtained eviction orders to remove the direct action protesters from their camps. The evictions begun in 1996. Two police forces (Thames Valley and Hampshire), over 600 security guards and professional climbers were used to remove the protestors and their camps. It took around 5 weeks to evict all the protesters. Security costs on the bypass reached over £30 million – originally only £7 million had been allocated for security. Over 900 protesters were arrested.

The bypass was built but the conflict goes on The bypass was completed in 1998 but the anti-bypass campaign continues and there have been several reunion rallies at Newbury. Campaigners still work to raise awareness of the negative impacts of the bypass. E.g. some people say the bypass has actually increased the amount of traffic in the area. There is ongoing environmental assessment of the impacts of the bypass. For example, pollution in habitats along the bypass route is monitored. Although the bypass was built, the anti-bypass campaign has some successes: The campaign highlighted environmental issues. As a result nearly 200,000 trees and shrubs were planted and attempts were made to relocate wildlife such as dormice, snails, bats, slow worms, voles and badgers. The campaign also raised awareness of the fact that road building may not be the solution to traffic problems. As a result, many new road building schemes were scrapped.

Exam Question 10 Marker!! Give an example of a conflict over a local resource you have studied and evaluate the processes which operated to resolve it