KNUTSFORD anti-road campaigners want to take part in deciding the future of the A556 motorway by-pass.

The first details of the regional planning conferences which will sit in judgement on the recently shelved £93 million road have been released.

It will be a head-to-head between local authorities, the Department of Transport in the North West and regional enterprise agencies.

But protesters against the threatened loss of 300 acres of green belt in Tabley, Mere and Bucklow Hill this week pleaded: Let us in too.

"We would like to be involved and we will ask to be involved," said Laurie Burton, from Knutsford-based Motorway Action Planning.

"If not we will be vigorously lobbying local councillors."

No details of how and when the regional conference will reach its decision on the road have been revealed yet.

Government road bosses have already acknowledged that local protests were instrumental in their decision to shelve the Tabley to Bowdon motorway.

Now the 100-strong active members of MAP want to keep up the fight to shift M6-bound traffic to the Lymm interchange.

"We won't relax until the whole thing is cancelled," said Mr Burton.

"We're not going to fall at the last hurdle."

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