7:30am Tuesday 16th March 2010
By Andy Carswell
A CAMPAIGNER who successfully fought the introduction of car parking charges in her home town is starting a new battle – to halt plans for a new high speed railway line.
Sarah-Jane Axelby spearheaded a campaign among residents of Old Amersham to stop proposals to bring in on-street parking charges in the town.
The scheme was scrapped following protests – and now Mrs Axelby, who continued to lead last year's campaign despite being heavily pregnant with her second child, has set her sights on a new fight.
The 34-year-old from Whielden Street said protesters needed to be “positive” about making a difference.
The planned route tunnels underneath Old Amersham and Chalfont St Giles before cutting through the Chiltern Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Mrs Axelby said: “My approach to anything is one of enthusiasm and positivity. If anyone can put a stop to things as a community, we can.
“Somebody's suggested we get the tunnel stopped, or change where the tunnel comes out, but if we are going in with a defeatist attitude from the outset we won't achieve anything. You have to get the whole route stopped.
“The community's very close-knit. People are passionate about it. There's no reason why we are not going to get the support from the local community.”
She admitted planned opposition to the proposed line, which would have trains running at 250mph along it, would be “on a completely different scale” to anything she had done before.
Mrs Axelby said she was “utterly appalled” after hearing news of the planned route being revealed on the TV.
She said: “What's the point in having Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and listed buildings if you can run a railway line straight through it?
“Having looked at it more closely I was even more shocked at the route. It goes through the chalk hills and runs parallel with the Old Town High Street.”
Residents are now hoping to set up the Chiltern Action Group in opposition to the scheme.
“We will be working with other places like Great Missenden and The Lee so we can co-ordinate our efforts,” said Mrs Axelby. “It's the biggest thing to hit our community for a long time and we need to work out what our objectives are.”
She added many people were already looking to get involved.
“People are coming out of the woodwork,” she said. “There are experts in different fields like legal and construction, down to local councillors. It's a pretty united front.”
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/trade_directory/