Overview

Change is the hardest thing to manage. Most people are wary of change, irrespective of what they say. Change can and will get the adrenalin going and different people adapt to change in different ways. Some will take it in their stride, others will reluctantly accept change and others will oppose and fight it, sometimes vehemently. History is littered with groups fighting change, and to be fair some change is not good or necessary and people are entitled to voice their opposition. It is often the case that natural opposition to change is viewed as either militant obstruction or public-spirited heroism. In the UK the famous exploits of Swampy , a conservationist prepared to live in tunnels underground to prevent heavy equipment starting the process of building a contested road and later an airport runway, made him a quasi-national hero. Popular opposition is powerful and sometimes will certainly produce alterations to proposals if not curtail the project completely. It can also create prolonged delay in starting a project as the process of public consultations and enquiries are undertaken to hear the promoters and objectors points of view. The results can sometimes be highly damaging to the project, an example being the situation the UK found itself in when the Channel Tunnel rail link was completed. In France and Belgium new track had been constructed to take high-speed trains while in the UK the public enquiry into the proposed route for new track through the countryside of England was still going...