George, Bungle and Zippy

By now, property developer George Ferguson has made a name for himself in Bristol as the guy who wants to build on the Bristol - Bath cyclepath. Not content with building on the substantial site of the old chocolate factory in Greenbank, George and his partners at the council, Bungle and Zippy, think it would be a good idea for our newly designated Cycling City if they wrecked the hugely popular and important cycle route by building houses on the green strip of land outside the boundary of the old factory, destroying hedgerows, apple trees and a public bench, impeding the free flow of cycle traffic and setting a precedent for more development along the once tranquil cycle route.

Ok, so there's nothing unusual about a property developer obtaining land by dubious means and ramming in as many high density dwellings as possible to maximise profit with no regard for other land users. What is astonishing however, is that the very same George is lauded as the city's pre-eminent spokesperson for cycling, to whom we should all look for advice and guidance.

In a fine example of Greenwash, George is trying to push through the development on the cyclepath as a benefit to cyclists, when anyone with a gram of sanity knows that his plans will choke and strangle this important commuter and leisure route and increase the likelihood of the development of a diesel bus route in the years ahead.

bbc.co.uk/insideout