Shrewsbury's North West Relief Road will be 'road to ruin', group claims
A new campaign group against Shrewsbury’s North West Relief Road has described the project as a “financial disaster for Shropshire”.
Road To Ruin Shropshire launched at the weekend to voice objections to the scheme.
Campaigners argue that Shropshire Council’s financial situation after the Covid-19 pandemic means the NWRR, which has been discussed for decades and recently secured funding from the Department for Transport, will push the authority towards bankruptcy.
They say it will also deprive towns outside Shrewsbury of much-needed local investment.
The council’s head of finance issued a report raising the potential for the need of a 114 notice, which stops councils from spending money, but leader Peter Nutting said it would be “most unlikely” that the authority would not face bankruptcy.
Transport boss Steve Davenport believes the positives outweigh the negatives, and that removing traffic from the town centre will improve things economically and environmentally.
Road to Ruin spokesman Steve Hale said: “The North West Relief Road is a financial disaster for Shropshire.
"The county is paying £17 million for just four miles of single carriage road in Shrewsbury. That is £17m that won’t be spent on local services in places like Bishop’s Castle, Craven Arms, Ludlow, Oswestry or Whitchurch.
"Many towns and villages throughout the county are desperate for investment, from bus routes to social care. But Shropshire Council only seems to care about Shrewsbury.”
Message
He added: “Do you think a major building project like this is going to come in on budget? Of course it won’t.
"The NWRR will saddle Shropshire with millions more beyond the initial £17m, causing more austerity, and if there’s a legal challenge to the road it will cost us even more.
"This administration is spending our money like a drunken sailor, from overpriced shopping malls to overpaid pothole consultants. No wonder they’re on the verge of bankruptcy.”
A planning application is expected in the near future.
“We’re calling on Shropshire residents to send them a message via our website letting them know that we don’t want this road to ruin,” added Steve.
The campaign group’s website is RoadToRuinShropshire.com.
