Metro gives nature a hammering AND levelling up for the wealth flaunting types as the poor go to the wall, yet again

Hi Bob - thanks for the action points.

I love:

"support nature recovery across the WMCA; by increasing tree cover, identifying, protecting, and enhancing nature, and eliminating greenspace deprivation in line with the 30 x 30 biodiversity principles agreed at the biodiversity summit December 2022."

This is excellent but is at odds with "Pause tram development" because with tram extensions going "full steam ahead" (Andy Street on 25 July 2023 on Radio WM) we are now going to get not railway lines turned into tramways but nature, public open space, housing land and front gardens taken for trams.

Andy Street and Cllr Patrick Harley, Leader of Dudley MBC, both insist that the money is now in place for the Dudley Tram to go to Merry Hill and so boost their trade at the possible expense of Dudley shops.  This means that the destruction of nature is now full steam ahead at Merry Hill SC which desperately needs more trees, shrubs and plants and not fewer!

Full steam ahead means less land for 1/2 bedroom apartments for the most badly housed without cars, with the tram coming to take a slice of the designated housing land between the Merry Hill stores and the shops at Brierley Hill.  So more farming land is taken to compensate for High Plateau housing land made smaller.

Full steam ahead means all the public open space is concreted for the 400 m tram viaduct, plus all the trees wiped out.  I would love to show you, Bob the extent of the damage, indeed destruction wreaked upon an already nature-deprived area.  Please come over and meet me, I'll treat you to drinks and cake as your reward - I promise!

Full steam ahead means my Merry Hill SC guerrilla garden has the tramway going over the top of it - and more nature destruction.

Full steam ahead means 1,000 trees and shrubs and front gardens, in 3 Kms, get wiped out by infernal concrete and steel between Edgbaston Village tram stop and the Kings Head, Bearwood on the south side of Hagley Road.

I'm getting near to double figures of the people I've shown round  - both councillors and others.  Bill from Walsall FoE today and Elaine, the Reform UK candidate on Monday.  PLEASE Bob, your good self too.  Seeing is believing.  1 hour trail of the treasures of nature and then drinks and, food if we time it for lunch.  All on me!

FULL STEAM AHEAD TO ECOCIDE

The hundreds of millions greedily, selfishly, wanted for tramways to replace and duplicate buses must go to low incomes, to the most badly housed, to those struggling with paying bills, using food banks, to insulate their homes ... in line with our eco-socialist principles.  NOT to make Brum look powerful and prestigious in line with international cities like Paris, Milan and Tokyo.  How sick and sad at such immature attitudes and all to accelerate the climate emergency well and truly upon us.

All the best