It came as little surprise that the Horwich branch was one of hundreds of lines slated for closure in Beeching's The Reshaping of British Railways, published in 1963. The various formalities were covered by a public hearing, but the closure was given consent by the Transport Minister.

On many occasions, public hearings were more symbol than substance; key dissenting voices, interest groups and academics were either not invited, informed too late or barred access form the venue by large police deployments. In some cases, as with the controversy over InfraVest Corp's wind turbine project in Yuanli, Miaoli County, police inside a public hearing would turn their cameras on the villagers and activists, but did not do so when company representatives or government officials were making their case, measures that were regarded as intimidating.

Public hearing

Meaning

Noun