Local history dynamo David Hodgkinson has come up trumps again. As promised, David has kindly scanned a whole tranche of material about the protests against the BNRR – or M6 Toll as it's now known. Further, David has scanned this leaflet, which is the one I was after particularly, detailing route options for the road being considered.
I think the flyer dates from about 1983. I remember the campaign against the Orange Route fly posting around Stonnall circa 1984.
This is a masterstroke in manipulating the opposition. Note that only the first couple of options are really feasible, and none of them are exactly what was built. The final one – the Orange Route – was an utterly implausible suggestion. Running through Little Aston, up over Castle Hill, down through a working quarry and several marshes, it wasn't there as a valid proposal. It was there to split opposition, which it did very effectively. It was a masterstroke in public manipulation.
The campaign against the orange route was well funded and vociferous, and pushed for one of the northern options. Likewise, many from northern areas of the route pushed for the Orange option. Effectively, the protesters ended up fighting each other.
The technique was brilliant, and has been employed many times times since.
I thank David for finding the is wonderful bit of local ephemera, something that details a mostly forgotten piece of history. Cheers, old chap.
Not sure the exact date of this, but I can remember seeing a copy at school in 1983. Click for a larger version.
The Brown route (with the dashed option below Chasewater) is probably closest to what was actually built. Click for a larger version.
Great Wyrley would now be quite different had the Brown route been chosen. Click for a larger version.
The Violet route's dip throughgh Summerhill on the Lichfield Road was adopted, but the motorway went both of Shenstone. Click for a larger version.
The inclusion of the Orange route was a masterstroke. Never, ever likely to get built, it divided the southern and northern opposition. Click for a larger version.
The rejected options - including a couple that cut through what is euphemistically called 'The Catshill Gap' - Anchor Bridge. The discussion beneath is interesting, not least because it appears to reject the Orange route if it's analysed carefully. Click for a larger version.
