Debate surrounds Shrewsbury's north west relief road plans

Businesses are widely backing a planned new bypass for Shrewsbury, according to the local chamber of commerce.

The long-awaited north west relief road, due to be built in 2024, will link northern and western parts of the town.

It is aimed at easing congestion in the town centre and improving links with other areas.

However, more than 4,000 people have objected against the road, saying it will harm the environment.

Shropshire Chamber of Commerce said it feels the ongoing debate over the road is "damaging" the local economy, so what is the road and why is it being built?

If built, the north west relief road will provide a single carriageway road linking the northern and western parts of Shrewsbury, with a new bridge over the River Severn, and a new bridge over the Shrewsbury to Chester railway line.

The road will connect the A5 at Welshpool Road roundabout to the Ellesmere Road.

The relief road has been talked about since the mid-1980s but it took until 2009 for the government to identify it as a priority.

At the start of September, Shropshire Council submitted a revised planning application for the road, following redesigns of a viaduct which would be built over the River Severn.

On submitting the revised application, Shropshire Council said the cost of the road was now at £80m, £7m less than first expected.

In March 2019 the Department for Transport awarded £54m towards the construction of the road, with a further £4.2m from the local enterprise partnership, with Shropshire Council to provide the balance of the cost, and take responsibility for any cost increases.

This funding cannot be used for other projects and will be lost if the road does not go ahead.

The council said the road is needed as existing links are poor, with problems of congestion through the town.

It said a peak-time journey from the A5 at Churncote to the A49 at Battlefield would take about six minutes using the north west relief road instead of about 20 minutes through the town centre, or 15 minutes on the existing bypass.

More than 4,000 people have objected to the road plans online, citing environmental concerns and fears it will not actually reduce traffic in the town centre.

Neighbouring town councils have also objected, with Shrewsbury Town Council citing the "lack of consideration of the environmental impact" among its reasons against the proposals.

Joe Phillips, from Shropshire Wildlife Trust, which is also a consultee on the project, added: "We are in a climate emergency and not only the development of this road, the construction of it, but the use of the road will be adding to that emergency."

The road will also have impact on wildlife habitats, he said, with the trust also having concerns about people being able to access green space following the development of the road.

Not enough detail has been put forward, Mr Phillips said, about how these impacts will be mitigated.

Despite the opposition, some people are in favour of the road, including Shropshire Chamber of Commerce members.

A total of 86% of 2,559 firms who responded to a survey run by the chamber said changes were needed, with 78% adding they believe the road was the correct solution.

Josh Carpenter, Shropshire Chamber's policy officer, said: "They feel it would cut down congestion through the centre of Shrewsbury, reduce air pollution in residential areas, and could also bring investment and more jobs into Shropshire.

"It was also noted by some of the supporters that the debate about the road had been going on for far too long already, potentially damaging the economy of Shrewsbury and the wider area."

Councillor Dean Carroll, portfolio holder for physical infrastructure at Shropshire Council said there are "myriad" benefits of the road, including in attracting investment into the county.

"Firstly, the economic boost that it will bring to Shrewsbury and for Shropshire as a county... for an £87m budget scheme, we are talking of economic benefits to the county running into the hundreds of millions of pounds," he said.

Some areas, including towns and villages north of the town, he said, are "blighted" by cars and lorries trying to bypass the town centre, so it will also improve people's quality of life.

The council has also not looked into ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the work as yet, he added.

The plans for the road are set to go before planners in December or early January.

If approved by planners, Shropshire Council will then need to work on the full business case for the road, which would then have to be approved by the cabinet, the full council, the scrutiny committee, as well as the Department for Transport.

It hopes to do this in early 2022, with a contractor appointed later that year with work to begin by the summer.

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