No threat to North West Relief Road funding says Government minister

The comments from Baroness Vere of Norbiton, Minister for Roads, Buses and Places, will come as a disappointment to those campaigning against Shropshire Council's plan for the major new Shrewsbury road.

It comes after the Department for Transport (DfT) wrote to councils across the country warning that Government funding cuts could put some road schemes at risk.

Anti-relief road campaigners had suggested the communication could throw millions of pounds of Government funding for the Shrewsbury road into doubt – a suggestion angrily rejected by Shropshire Council.

The DfT letter had asked local authorities to review if they wanted to continue with roads projects.

It asked local authorities to review projects against a number of criteria – including value for money, local support, and its impact on carbon emissions.

However, the letter had said the "starting point" for the review would mean that any schemes which already have outline business case approval – which the relief road does – would not be considered unless the local authority concerned wished to withdraw the plan, or "the case for the scheme changes significantly".

Shropshire Council said that because it is not interested in withdrawing the scheme the funding is not under threat – a view now endorsed by the minister.

In a letter to Shrewsbury & Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynsky, Baroness Vere said it is "not the case" that funding for the project is threatened, adding that the outline business case approval means it is safe unless "the local authority/STB decides otherwise or unless the case for the scheme changes significantly".

She said: "The Shrewsbury scheme falls into this category because Outline Business Case approval was given in March 2019.

"The promoter, Shropshire Council, has confirmed that they still wish to develop the scheme and is expecting to submit a full business case to the department towards the end of this year.

"Once submitted, my officials will review and send advice to ministers in due course."

The road is yet to go before a planning committee having now been delayed twice – in December and earlier this year.

The delays came after the Environment Agency and Natural England asked for more detail on the proposals before they could formulate a decision whether to back the plan or not.

The council says it expects the application will now be heard "by the end of summer".

Shropshire Council leader Lezley Picton has described the road as a vital project for the authority.

Speaking last week she said: "The Shrewsbury NWRR remains a key priority for us as a council and is currently being considered as part of the planning process.

“The NWRR has successfully passed through the Outline Business Case stage, has received an offer of DfT funding and has formally entered the DfT Large Local Majors delivery programme. We plan to submit a full business case to DfT by the end of 2022, subject to planning approval."

She added: "The case for the road hasn’t changed and it continues to support and deliver the stated aims within the original objectives and the more recent, wider objectives of Government transport investment."