Field Study's Man in E11 presents, L36.1 - a local press cuttings collection about the M11 Link Road protest

LBWF Local Studies Archive

L36.1 - PRESS REPORTS/CUTTINGS ARCHIVE.

- A12/M11 LINK ROAD –

The collection consists of mainly photocopied local newspaper articles on A4 sheets stapled together by year. The articles are not held in chronological order as they are listed here.

WFG – Waltham Forest Guardian / L L G – Leyton & Leytonstone Guardian / G G N – Guardian & Gazette Newspapers / ES – Evening Standard / WFYA – Waltham Forest Yellow Advertiser / G G S – Guardian & Gazette Series.

/, - author unknown.

w/e – week ending.

........ – article title unknown.

? – paper/journal unknown.

TITLE/AUTHOR/NEWSPAPER/DATE/PAGE – SUMMARY OF ARTICLE or QUOTE.

1982

HELP OR HAZARD - /, WFG, w/e 30/7/1982 – artist’s impression of Green Man Interchange.

1984

HOPE FOR M11 LINK TUNNEL – Andy Nash, WFG, 13/7/1984, p.3 – John Goldsmith appeals to Ian Gow, following Department of Transport’s rejection of Lister-Goldsmith tunnel.

LINK SCHEME FEARS – Andy Nash, WFG, 20/7/1984, p.3 – Link Road Action Group architect, John Goldsmith reveals Link Road plans have not been scrapped.

DON’T LOOK AT ME: JENKIN - /, Extra Series, 4/9/1984 – Patrick Jenkin MP (Secretary of State, Environment) denies he had a hand in deciding controversial route for South Woodford to Barking Relief Road.

1985

RE-THINK THE LINK – Andy Nash, WFG, 18/1/1985, p.88 – ‘A motorway tunnel that is too safe has provided 11^th hour ammunition for the Lister-Goldsmith Link Scheme’.

LINK ROAD WALKABOUT - /, WFG, 7/8/1985, p.10 – Brigadier Robert Merrell leads an official walk of the link road route.

TUNNEL VISION - /, G G N, 18/10/1985 – The M11 Link Road through Wanstead, Leyton and Leytonstone has finally been given the go ahead.

LINK ROAD ANGER GROWS – Andy Nash, WFG, 18/10/1985 – the Link Road Action Group promises to resist government plans for link road, especially the un-tunnelled sections.

MEETING ON LATEST M11 LINK PLANS – Andy Nash, WFG, 29/11/1985, p.22 – the link road has been approved. How will local consultations affect plans and development?

NEW TUNNEL PLAN AT GREEN MAN - /, G G N, 27/12/1985 – initial proposal of a viaduct at Green Man changed to a tunnel.  

1986

RELUCTANT BACKING FOR PART TUNNEL - /, WFG, 31/1/1986 – the link road will only be partially tunnelled. 

LINK ROAD – NEW THREAT? – Andy Nash, WFG, 24/10/1986, p.3 – will the link road be adequate enough to cope with traffic volumes?

1987

ROUNDABOUT PLAN GOES ON SHOW - /, G G N, 16/1/1987 – announcing exhibition of plans for Green Man Interchange.

....................................................................... - /, WFG, 27/2/1987, p.28 – M11 Link Road activists mounted their own exhibition at Wanstead Library.

ROAD PLANS VERDICT FROM RESIDENTS – THINK AGAIN – Sally Manfield, Yellow Advertiser, 8/5/1987 – new plans for the Green Man Interchange in Leytonstone have got the thumbs down from over 600 local residents.

TUNNEL PLEA FOR LINK ROAD - /, WFG, 8/5/1987, p.12 – Link Road Action Group calls for support for a fully tunnelled link road.

ROAD CASH COULD BUY HOMES - /, WFG, 19/6/1987, p.13 - money spent on the link road could pay for 12,000 new homes in the area, say Shelter and Friends of the Earth.

TUNNEL CALL AT M11 LINK HEARING - /, WFG, 19/6/1987, p.3 - 'The long wrangle over the M11 Link Road entered its final stages when a public inquiry opened at Leyton Town Hall on Tuesday morning'.

‘PROTESTERS GOT IT WRONG’ - CLAIM - /, ?, June 1987.

LINK ROAD MISERY FEARS - /, WFG, 31/7/1987, p.16. 

1988

LINK PROTEST AT NOISE DANGER - /, WFG, 15/4/1988 - Connaught School pupils will be adversely affected by close proximity to link road.

1989

THE ROADS TO FREEDOM - Valerie Roper, WFG, 17/2/1989 - Valerie Roper, a director of Strettons, (chartered surveyors) explains how/why the link road will stimulate property values and commerce. 

MISERY OF MAJOR ROAD AHEAD - Pat Stannard, WFG, 24/3/1989 - central government is disregarding EEC legislation and also favouring Tory marginal seats for road tunnelling. 

1991

PROTESTERS CLOSE RANKS AS DEMOLITION TEAM MOVES IN - /,  G G N, 27/12/1991 - the demolition of houses on Fillebrook Rd by Squib & Davies Demolition Ltd. 

1992

LINK ROAD IS 'BULLDOZED' THROUGH - Peter Batt, L L G, 30/7/1992 - local councils unable to stop the link road.

TIME RUNS OUT FOR M11 HOMES - Mike Baess, Waltham Forest Yellow Advertiser, 7/8/1992 - the European Commission drops it's opposition to M11 Link Road.

LEGAL SHOCK FOR M11 LINK BIDDERS - Brian Warner, Construction News, 1/10/1992 - bidding costs getting prohibitively high due to legal complications. Average bid cost £400,000.

1993

COUNCILLORS KNEW THEY'D PROBABLY LOSE M11 BATTLE - Pat Stannard, G G N, 25/2/1993.

BID TO HALT ROAD FAILS - /, G G N, 25/2/1993.

THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION - Emma Brooker/Barry Lewis, Evening Standard, September 1993 - 'the road has become a kind of mythical beast which roams the minds of local people'. 

IS THIS THE ROAD TO NOWHERE? - Nia Griffith, G G N, 23/9/1993 - a personal account of the fight to save a community.

1994

January to July 1994

LONG LIVE WANSTONIA - John Vidal/Vivek Chaudhury, The Guardian, 17/2/1994.

PROTEST HEADS DOWN THE ROAD - /, L L G, 24/2/1994 – move of protest from Wanstonia to Leytonstonia.

WE’RE HERE TO STAY – Daniel Foggo, G G N, 3/3/1994 – A brand new republic has been proclaimed along the intended route of the M11 Link Road; Fillebrook Road/Leytonstonia.

ROAD PROTESTS WILL GROW – Colin Bex, G G N, 3/3/1994 – letter.

27 ARRESTED IN LINK ROAD CLASH – Jane Dignum, L L G, 24/3/1994, p.1. – ‘Sunday night’s incident in Fillebrook Road just before midnight was the first major confrontation to take place in Leytonstone since the protesters shifted their sights from Wanstead’.

ANTI M11 LINK ROAD PROTESTERS PILE ON THE PRESSURE – John Barry, G G N, 24/3/1994, p.3 – Operation Roadblock protest.

LINK ROAD WORK BRINGS WATER CUT OFF MISERY - /, G G N, March 1994.

CONCERNS ARE FIRE RISK AND OBSTRUCTION – POLICE CHIEF - /,       G G N, March 1994.

ACTION WILL BE BIGGEST YET - /, G G N, March 1994 – Operation Roadblock will involve a march by 150 protesters on Link Road construction site.

ANTI-LINK PROTESTERS DIG IN TO FIGHT EVICTIONS – Pat Stannard, G G N, 14/4/1994, p.3

JOLLY DOLLY FIGHTS THE BULLDOZERS – Mike Baess, W F Y A, no.584, w/e Friday 15^th April 1994, p.1.

MAYHEM AT M11 LINK SITE – Daniel Foggo, L L G, 16/6/1994 – Leytonstonia erupted into mayhem as M11 Link Road security officials clashed with protesters on Monday.

OUTRAGE ON THE M11 LINK ROAD SITE – Colin Bex, G G N, 30/6/1994, p.19 – letter.

(Colin Bex, Press Officer – LOGICAL - Leytonstone Opposes Government’s Insidious Corruption Against its Locality)

LINK ROAD PROTESTER and OAP MUM EVICTED - /, G G N, 21/7/1994.

M11 PROTESTERS SEIZE EVICTED WIDOW’S HOME – David Taylor, Evening Standard, 21/7/1994, p.20 – house reclaimed by anti road protesters.

PUBLIC PRESSURE FORCES LINK ROAD GUARDS TO WEAR ID TAGS - /, G G N, 21/7/1994, p.19.

August to December 1994

ROAD BATTLE TURNS NASTY – Daniel Foggo, L L G, 4/8/1994. (pictures: Vikki Lince)

LINK ROAD 'SPIES' HIRED BY DoT - Kevin Kavanagh, Leytonstone Leyton Guardian, 11/8/1994.

DEMOLITION MEN FACE MASS DEMO – Mike Baess, Waltham Forest Yellow Advertiser, no. 601, w/e Friday 12^th August 1994, p.1 (picture: Roy Tillett)

D-DAY COMES AND GOES FOR M11 DOLLY - / , G G N, 18/8/1994.

ILLNESS WONT STOP DOLLY FROM FIGHTING DEMOLITION - Mike Baers,   -   , 26/8/1994.

ANTI-ROADERS GUNNING FOR RING LEADERS - Jon Cross, L L G, 8/9/1994.

AND THE TREES CAME DOWN - Loraine Clay, G G N, 29/9/1994.

WE'LL FIGHT ON - PROTESTERS  - / , G G N, 6/10/1994.

NICE LIFE FOR DOLLY -  Kevin Kavanagh, L L G, 3/11/1994.

PROTESTERS CHALLENGE NEW LAW - pictures by Vikki Lince, Independent Series, 11/11/1994.

FALSE ALARM OVER M11 EVICTIONS - Kevin Kavanagh, G G N, 24/11/1994.

THE END IS NIGH - Geoff Maynard, G G N, 1/12/1994.

UP ON THE ROOF - Nick Stern, Independent, 2/12/1994 (photo-report).

TV SHUNNED THE REST OF US, SAY RESIDENTS - / , G G S, 8/12/1994.

BAILIFF BRUTALITY - / , G G S, 8/12/1994.

THE BILL (the cost of policing Operation Garden Party) - / , G G S, 8/12/1994.

M11 PROTEST WAS IN THE GREAT TRADITION OF DISSENT - Tom Davies, G G S, 8/12/1994. (letter - Tom Davies, Treasurer, Residents Against the Link).

BIRDS EYE VIEW OF THE END OF CLAREMONT ROAD SIEGE - Steve Johnson, Independent Series, 9/12/1994. (photo-report)

COLD CHRISTMAS AT NEW SQUAT - Scott Harvey, Waltham Forest Yellow Advertiser, W/E 23/12/1994.

L36.1

THE LAST POST AT CLAREMONT ROAD - Maureen Measure, The Star, Issue 6, 2008. (reprinted from an issue of 'Understone': newsletter of Leyton and Leytonstone Historical Society).