Bridgnorth town councillors object to Shrewsbury relief road plan
Members of Bridgnorth Town Council are set to formally object to Shrewsbury's £87m North West Relief Road.
They are worried about the spiralling costs of the project which will link the northern and western parts of Shrewsbury and the effect on the environment in line with Shropshire Council's target of being net zero by 2030.
Other concerns include the county council having to provide the balance of the scheme after the Department of Transport awarded just £54m towards it. A draft letter from councillor Luke Neal, which may be sent to the county council and MP Philip Dunne was discussed at a meeting of the town council on Tuesday. It formally objects to the scheme which it says will already cost £220 per household in Shropshire and a potential overspend of £8.5m had already been identified.
It questions the need for the road and says Bridgnorth has already seen 'Shrewsbury-centric' policies undermine some of the vital services it should be providing for the town, citing the closure of the Highway Depot as an example.
It said: "Shropshire Council will be liable for any overspend which, with inflation and the rising cost of raw material will be substantial.
"A full business case for an almost identical bypass in Norwich has put the cost of that scheme at £200m, whereas Shropshire Council believe the NWRR [North West Relief Road] can be built for just £80m. We don't believe this liability is a risk worth taking."
It went on to say: "The construction of the NWRR will lead to 50,0000 tonnes of extra CO2 emissions, contributing to climate change and flying in the face of the council's climate emergency declaration and its target to be net zero by 2030. The carbon compensation for the NWRR is the equivalent of Shropshire Council planting an extra 1.4 million trees."
Morfe ward town councillor Edward Marshall said he was concerned resources that could be used elsewhere would be diverted to the project because of the overspend.
Councillor Julia Buckley, who represents Bridgnorth West and Tasley at county level said in light of the spiralling costs of the project it was too much of a burden on the taxpayer and would be
It was agreed at the meeting to table the views of the other three county councillors representing Bridgnorth before formally agreeing to send the letter of objection.
