Protesters line road in latest demo against Shrewsbury North West Relief Road
Hundreds of houses that could be built along the road of the proposed North West Relief Road would bring more not less congestion to Shrewsbury, protesters have said.
About 70 people holding banners, flags and placards were joined by local opposition party councillors including Julian Dean and Nat Green for a demonstration on Ellesmere Road on Saturday.
The protest aimed to highlight the damage the NWRR will do to the green belt around Ellesmere Road as well as draw attention to Shropshire Council’s plans to unlock green land for housing developments along its route.
Mike Streetly, from Better Shrewsbury Transport, said: "Shropshire Council has said that the NWRR is designed to relieve congestion in Shrewsbury, but even before the road is approved developers are seizing the opportunity to plan hundreds of new houses along its route.
"The infill housing planned along Ellesmere Road is totally unsustainable. It will devastate the countryside around the edge of town and it will increase the number of cars on the road, destroying any argument that the NWRR will reduce congestion."
The £80 million project would effectively complete the ring road around Shrewsbury, connecting the A5 at the Welshpool Road roundabout to the west of Shrewsbury to the Ellesmere Road roundabout to the town’s north.
There have been several protest held against the plans, including outside Shirehall and along the route where campaigners formed a human chain.
Mr Streetly added: "The 2020 Traffic Assessment addendum for the Shrewsbury West extension at Bicton suggested that adding just 49 houses to the development would create around 30 two way trips during the morning and evening peaks.
"By that logic, building 450 houses off Ellesmere Road will add 275 two way trips in the morning and evening rush hours. This will cancel out any benefit from the NWR to people on Ellesmere Road in terms of traffic reduction.
"No one is against building new houses, but they have to be in the right place and they have to be sustainable. If the North West Relief Road ends up creating even more traffic in Shrewsbury, then it won’t offer any 'relief' at all.’
Better Shrewsbury Transport is an alliance of local organisations and individuals campaigning for urgent action to promote active and sustainable modes of transport which they say are the only effective ways to reduce congestion, poor air quality and road deaths/injuries in the town."
Those involved include Shropshire Wildlife Trust, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Earth Shrewsbury Branch, Extinction Rebellion Shrewsbury Branch, Sustainable Transport Shropshire, The Green Party and Shrewsbury Liberal Democrats.
