meanwhile this in the Guardian 06.07.05. Community involvement in action...
Democracy in question
It is hard to believe that anyone could answer yes to the following: is it worth destroying the burial ground of an East Saxon king, cutting down 113 mature trees, and covering in concrete 3000 sq metres of Priory Park in order to save Southend motorists less than three minutes on a journey down the A1159? When asked, nearly 20,000 people in the town answered no, and 16 said yes. That was without considering the price tag of £11.2m to turn an 870-metre stretch of road into dual carriageway. Southend borough council sided with the 16 and decided that cutting congestion is worth the sacrifice of its heritage and the park, given to the town by a local benefactor in the 1900s. Local protesters, still fighting the proposals, "reclaimed" the Saxon burial site by removing the fencing last week while awaiting the East of England regional assembly's decision on funding.
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