Daniel Kawczynski urges council to 'press on' with controversial Shrewsbury relief road
Daniel Kawczynski has called on Shropshire Council to "press on" with the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road plan, despite objection from Shrewsbury Town Council.
The Shrewsbury and Atcham MP said he was "disappointed" the town council had written to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps asking him to shelve plans for the £81 million scheme, and urged the county council to continue with it
The letter from the town council says the road is an outdated and financially risky idea, and encouraged Mr Shapps to engage in discussions to "develop good transport solutions" in Shrewsbury and Shropshire.
But Mr Kawczynski said he was proud of the work that had been done in parliament by his team to secure funding for the project - £54m has been promised from Westminster with the rest having to be funded by Shropshire Council.
He said: "I would urge people to support the road - this scheme first came to light in the 1980s when there was a lot less houses and a lot less traffic than there is now.
"Both have increased considerably and there is a high level of building work expected on new properties in the next few years with traffic likely to increase as well. This road is needed to alleviate congestion around Shrewsbury."
More than 4,500 objections to the plans for the four-mile road were submitted on the planning application, with pollution, costs and a loss of greenbelt land among major concerns.
However, Shropshire Council claims the road is the best option for getting traffic out of Shrewsbury town centre and boosting the economy in the town and surrounding villages.
"I am aware of the rising costs of the scheme and of the environmental schemes - I am in talks with the Environment Agency at the moment about what can be done around this so I do have an understanding of the issues around it," Mr Kawczynski continued.
"But originally it was the Shrewsbury Business Chamber who were supporting it and still are and we have worked long and hard in parliament to obtain the main part of the funding for it so I would urge Shropshire Council to crack on with as soon as possible."
Meanwhile the Tory MP hosted a visit from chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris last night at The Beaconsfield Club as part of the Shrewsbury and Atcham Conservative Association's series of talks.
Mr Heaton-Harris, who was only appointed chief whip in February, visited the association for a supper and fundraising evening.
Mr Kawczynski said: "It was good of him to take time out of his busy schedule - we try to get as many ministers and people from Westminster here as possible to visit us and see the work thgat is being done in the party in this part of the world."
