NHS, fire service, police and bus bosses announce support for controversial North West Relief Road

Chiefs at Shropshire's fire, police and health services have pledged their support for the much-delayed project alongside a director at Arriva West Midlands, which operates bus services in Shrewsbury and across the county.

Leaders say the project will reduce delays for emergency services, improve access to hospitals, cut pollution and aid public safety. The scheme will effectively see a ring road completed around Shrewsbury via a new, single-carriageway road linking the northern and western parts of the town, which the council says will help to reduce congestion and pollution.

Shropshire Council has claimed the NWRR is a "transformative infrastructure project" that is gathering "strong support" for the benefits it says it will deliver to key local organisations.

The council said the road will play a 'vital role' in providing a "comprehensive solution to ease congestion, improve safety, and create a more sustainable transport network".

However, the NWRR has come under heavy scrutiny and faced opposition from environmental campaigners who are against the plan, alongside councillors in Shrewsbury, Ludlow, and Oswestry. In recent weeks it was reported that the project will take another 20 years than first thought to become 'carbon neutral'. 

The council has also previously faced questions over the impact of the NWRR on Shrewsbury’s air quality.

Moreover, the county town's MP Julia Buckley has stated that she believes that the money which has already secured for the project should be used on different projects instead.

But today (January 16), bosses at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) outlined how they believe the road would benefit the region and improve access to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

'This will directly support thousands of patients a year'

SaTH interim chief executive Jo Williams said: "The North West Relief Road will significantly improve access to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for our patients and staff. Journey times to the hospital, especially from the north and east of the area, and Telford, will be reduced. This will directly support people to access urgent and emergency care services and the thousands of patients each year who use our outpatient services.

"The shorter journey times and more reliable public transport that the scheme will deliver will also reduce pressure on our staff travelling to and from work. In addition, the reductions in congestion in many residential neighbourhoods to the north of the area will improve air quality, benefitting the health of local people and long-term, reducing pressure on the NHS. We see great benefit in delivery of this project to complete Shrewsbury’s outer ring road."

In December, it was reported that the project is now expected to cost £178m to complete - more than double the £81m that was originally forecast.

Chief executive officer for NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Simon Whitehouse, added: "As an Integrated Care System we have four key aims: improving outcomes in population health and healthcare; tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience and access; enhancing productivity and value for money; and helping the NHS to support broader social and economic development.

"The North West Relief Road will help towards achieving these aims by reducing potential delays for our health and care staff across our hospitals and our community, improving access to NHS services for our patients and our workforce, and supporting healthier lives through active travel options and reduced congestion.

"The A5 around the south of Shrewsbury and roads into and out of the town centre in the north are often seriously congested which means that an accident or heavy traffic can block the roads creating significant problems for our ambulance service. Completing the ring road would help reduce existing congestion and provide an alternative route to the A5 for our emergency teams."

This week, it was announced that Shropshire Council's Northern Planning Committee will be asked to approve changes to the authority's commitment to deal with the amount of carbon that will be created in the construction of the controversial road.

'It would help us respond to emergencies more quickly'

Bosses at the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Mercia Police's Police and Crime Commissioner have also backed the scheme, believing the project has potential to improve public safety and reduce emergency response times.

"Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service needs to be able to respond to emergency incidents as quickly and safely as possible," said Chief Fire Officer for Shropshire, Simon Hardiman. 

"Improvements to key road infrastructure are therefore important. Every minute of delay has a potential to impact on public safety. Road congestion and travel distances can delay us, particularly for our larger response vehicles that find it challenging to negotiate heavy traffic on relatively narrow roads. The completion of the Shrewsbury outer ring road would help us respond to emergencies more quickly."

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion added: "At the heart of my police and crime plan is a focus on reducing the excessive harm too often caused on our roads with too many people being killed or seriously injured.

"This once-in-a-generation investment in Shropshire’s roads will deliver a wide range of benefits for local communities by improving journey times, cutting pollution and boosting road safety through higher engineering standards."

'Substantial benefits for bus users'

Meanwhile, Arriva West Midlands, which provides the majority of Shropshire’s local bus services, is also backing the plans. Bosses believe the NWRR could improve bus service reliability and frequency by reducing what Shropshire Council described "severe traffic congestion currently seen in the town centre". 

Ryan Dunne, Arriva West Midlands area director, said: "The benefits of the NWRR scheme for bus users would be substantial. Currently, all bus services seeking to travel from the northeast to northwest edge of the town (or vice versa), have to travel right into the heart of the town centre and back out again to circumnavigate the gap in the outer ring road. Other traffic has to do likewise, or 'rat run' on unsuitable rural roads, adversely impacting local communities.

"The high levels of traffic funnelled into the town centre unnecessarily impacts on local communities, adding noise and pollution to neighbourhoods on the route as their residential streets become an arterial route. It also causes frustration for drivers but, more importantly for our customers, and sees buses caught in congestion - particularly at peak times - which renders bus journeys slower and more unreliable. This adds significant costs to the operation of bus services, which reduces frequency and makes it more difficult to maintain the service that communities need and that we want to provide."

Shropshire Council added that Arriva believes the project aligns with its transport goals, including to promoting active travel.

The local authority said the project will deliver more than 7.5km of new segregated cycle routes, improved air quality, and support for the "innovative changes to traffic in the town centre proposed in the 'Shrewsbury Moves' strategy".

"We have always believed that the completion of Shrewsbury’s outer ring road is a long-overdue project," said Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for highways, Dan Morris. "It is crucial in so many ways to improving the lives of local people and addressing many of the challenges our area faces. No other alternative offers the same range of benefits.

"These statements from some of our most vital local service providers reinforce this point. From faster emergency response times and enhanced healthcare access, to cleaner air and more reliable transport, this project will transform the region, attract new investment, and improve the quality of life in and around our county town, both for those who live here now and in the future."