Battlefield campaigner's call to protect countryside from Shrewsbury relief road

Selby Martin MBE, whose work helped protect a huge amount of green space in the town thanks to its historic significance, has major concerns over the environmental impact, and said the Covid pandemic has proved how valuable the countryside is for people's physical and mental health.

The £81 million road would run from Churncote island to Battlefield. In 2006, Selby led the Shropshire Campaign to Protest Rural England in its fight against the road, and he was delighted back in 2011 when the scheme appeared to have been taken off the future blueprint for the county town.

But it reappeared and has now won government funding.

"One of the problems you have when a committee of councillors decide on something is that it is very difficult to get them to change their mind," said Selby. "Their arguments are totally wrong in terms of the needs of transport.

"One of the things we learned from the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns was the importance of access to the countryside. It is important not just for our physical health, but also our mental health."

Selby, a former British diplomat and teacher, was instrumental in the Battle of Shrewsbury site being afforded protection from development. After receiving his MBE, he hailed the work done by Caroline Thewles, author Robert Hardy, and Battlefield landowner Joyce Jagger in protecting the site.

He also said: "Also of great concern if the road goes ahead, is the pollution of the River Severn."

The council’s design includes building a roundabout over the inner Source Protection Zone for Severn Trent Water’s Shelton borehole. The council’s policy says that development in these areas is not encouraged due to the risk of pollution. The Environment Agency has objected to the application on the grounds of the risk to groundwater and Severn Trent Water has also written to say that they are not satisfied with the information provided by the council.

So far the planning application for the road has has more than 4,000 objections.

Councillor Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council's cabinet member responsible for transport, said: "The proposed Shrewsbury North West Relief Road will increase considerably access to green areas in delivering a brand new c.7km linear segregated route for walking, cycling and horse riding. It will offer town residents access to currently unavailable views, vistas and areas which are presently poorly served by rights of way. The road will also provide new connectivity on presently linear rights of way where they are intersected, giving new circular walks to town residents and visitors.

"The prevention of issues arising around pollution in the vicinity of the river has been a key driver for the current road and viaduct design. Mitigation and prevention by design, had been focussed on addressing noise, air pollution, physical pollution and management of traffic spills etc along the entirety of the route. Special attention has been paid to these issues around the particularly environmentally sensitive river bridging point, and acceptable approaches are now being found to these challenges in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and Severn Trent Water. All such approaches will be fully specified through the Planning Application process."