Meeting to be held over Wem relief road

Chris Grayling, secretary of state for transport, recently told Mr Paterson in a face-to-face meeting that he will examine the case for a bypass for Wem.

Councillor Edward Towers, mayor of Wem, said Mr Paterson was now organising a meeting to take the idea forward.

Councillor Towers told a meeting of Wem Town Council on Thursday: "Mr Paterson met with the clerk and me. He listened to our views and was very supportive of what we are trying to do.

"Shropshire Council currently doesn’t seem to be on side and we have had no further correspondence with them since they carried out the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) traffic survey last year.

"Mr Paterson said he was concerned about this and is organising a meeting with Shropshire Council and us. He is taking the plans very seriously."

Mr Paterson has backed the town council’s call for a relief road, which would reduce the number of cars going through the town centre.

Mr Paterson previously said: “In Wem they have submitted a bid for a bypass. Unfortunately it doesn’t look as easy as I had hoped.

“The scheme is aimed at A-roads but I explained the particular circumstances about Wem and was told by Chris he will go away and have a look at it.

“I am all in favour of a relief road. I find it strange Wem is stuck with a medieval street pattern and everything goes straight through the centre. It would be a big improvement if Wem can get a relief road."

A new route to solve ongoing problems in Wem has been an aspiration for many years, according to its town council. Last year an automatic number plate recognition traffic survey was carried out in the town in response to the traffic problems.

It was conducted after concerns from local residents about the presence of large vehicles in Wem town centre, particularly in Mill Street and High Street.

Meanwhile, at the latest meeting of Wem Rural Parish Council, councillors agreed to support the case for a relief road.

Shropshire Council has been considering a list of solutions to ease problems in the town.

These have included include creating a loading bay outside NatWest, reviewing HGV signs in the town and surrounding areas, looking into a lighting system similar to Much Wenlock, considering whether a one-way system is suitable, and looking at a relief road.

Announcing the government’s spending plans for roads, Mr Grayling said: “Getting transport spending right is crucial for the country’s future. The transport investment strategy sets out a blueprint for how we can harness the power of transport investment to drive balanced economic growth, unlock new housing projects and support the government’s modern industrial strategy.”