Controversial Shrewsbury North West Relief Road costs unveiled - amid questions on whether Shropshire Council will have to pay the money back to the Government
The full cost of the controversial Shrewsbury North West Relief Road project - which has been paused - has been unveiled by local politicians.
Shropshire Council spent nearly £22 million on designer engineer consultant fees for the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road (NWRR), it can be revealed.
The controversial scheme was officially “paused” by the Liberal Democrat-run administration last month following a meeting with the Department for Transport (DfT).
The cost of constructing the road was originally estimated at £87.2m. However, within eight years, that skyrocketed to an eye-watering £215m.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on July 9, council leader Heather Kidd said the project was never funded, and it was effectively “dead in the water”.
In total, just shy of £39m had been spent on the whole project since its inception, which includes the Oxon Link Road (OLR).
The issue now is whether Shropshire Council will need to pay it back to the Government, or not, which was the case for Norfolk County Council for a similar scheme. There will also be discussions on whether the council can use any of the money left from the original £54.4m government grant for the road for other projects, such as improving Shrewsbury’s existing Battlefield and Dobbies roundabouts.
At a full council meeting on Thursday (July 17), Councillor Carl Rowley (Reform UK, St Martins), asked for a detailed financial breakdown of the expenditure of the NWRR.
“As we know, the initial budget allocations were as follows: £6m for planning and design, £8m for land acquisition, and £5m for project management and contingencies, totalling £19m,” said Councillor Rowley.
“Consequently, there is an apparent additional expenditure of £20m.
“While I understand that price increases may have inflated these initial quotes, it is also worth noting that £8m have been saved due to the absence of compulsory land sales. Therefore, it is crucial for us to understand the allocation of these funds, particularly since no construction has commenced and is not expected to start soon.
“It is imperative that both councillors and the general public comprehend the financial mismanagement brought upon this council by the previous administration regarding this project.”
Breakdown of Shrewsbury North West Relief Road costs
In response, Councillor David Vasmer, portfolio holder for highways and enviornment, provided a table of how much had been spent between 2014/15 and 2025/26, with a breakdown of the spend.
It shows that the majority (£21.875m) was spent on designer engineer consultant fees, followed by pre-construction contracts (£7.975m).
The rest went on Shropshire Council project management (£892,000), legal fees (£644,000), land costs – acquisitions/access (£326,000), utility diversion works (£76,000), communication fees (£55,000), and planning fees (£54,000). That means that a total of £31.897m was spent on the NWRR.
Meanwhile, £7,048 went on the OLR, bringing the total amount for the project to £38.945m.
The financial year in which most of the money was spent was 2021/22 (£7.699m), closely followed by 2024/25 (£7.677m). More than £7m was also spent during 2023/24.
Councillor Vasmer also stated the total amount for all the sources of funding. This includes £20.5m from the DfT, £6.7m capital receipts, £5.3m Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), £4.2m Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), and £3m Section 106.
