Minister says 'a lot of things have changed' as talks continue over £39m Shrewsbury relief road bill
Discussions are still ongoing over the £39m bill for Shrewsbury's failed North West Relief Road project, the government has said.
Work was paused on the controversial project in June after the incoming Liberal Democrat administration, long-term critics of the scheme while in opposition at Shropshire Council, declared the road "simply unaffordable".
Prior to that, a programme of enablement works had been started by the previous council in an effort to get the heavily delayed scheme off the ground - despite an emerging funding gap of up to £176 million, which the previous administration believed would be funded by central government.
Costs for the 4-mile road are estimated to have risen from an initial estimate of around £87m to over £210m, which led to the Lib Dem council calling time on the road virtually instantly after being elected this year.
The council says it intends to cancel the scheme completely, although a final decision would need to be approved by full council.
