Shrewsbury North West Relief Road: 'Stalling’ claims dismissed
A government department has dismissed as "untrue" claims that it is stalling over a decision on Shropshire's North West Relief Road.
The Department for Transport denied delaying the seven-mile road scheme, or of not fulfilling promises on a timescale for a decision.
Shropshire Council has written directly to the Minister of Transport Chris Grayling, to raise its concerns.
Council leader Peter Nutting and cabinet member Nic Laurens had both expected an announcement to be made in the Spring Statement regarding the authority's bid for £54 million.
In his letter to Mr Grayling, Councillor Nutting said any delay would cause 'considerable challenges' and that the entire funding bid may be withdrawn.
But a spokesman for the Department of Transport said: “It is untrue to suggest we are delaying a decision on the North West Relief Fund road.
“We are considering the funding bid for this scheme, alongside other proposals, and our aim remains to make a decision by the summer.”
See also:
In December, Councillor Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transport said that an announcement was due on funding in the Spring Statement but according to the DfT it was always anticipated that the decision would be reached by the summer.
The matter was raised last month by Shrewsbury's MP Daniel Kawczynski who asked Jesse Norman, Parliamentary under secretary of state for the Department for Transport whether an announcement on the North West Relief Road and the Large Local Majors scheme was still scheduled to take place in the summer of 2018.
Mr Norman clarified the situation and said that the Government intended to make announcements on the current Large Local Major scheme bids, which include the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road, by the summer of 2018.
The road would act as a missing link for a bypass that would ease traffic travelling between Telford and north Shropshire, completing an outer ring road around Shrewsbury. It would join Oxon Link Road and Battlefield.
In his letter, Councillor Nutting said the council may be forced to withdraw its business case and funding bid as further delay would add to costs and disrupt the planned timetable for works.
They said £190,000 had been spent on preparatory work with the presumption a decision on the road would be made by April 1, but that budget pressures meant it would be difficult to spend more.
