North West Relief Road will make Shropshire 'one of UK's most polluting counties', says town council

That is according to Ludlow Town Council, which has submitted a scathing "re-objection" to the controversial project.

It comes after the planning application for the four-mile road, which would stretch from Churncote island to Battlefield and effectively complete a Shrewsbury ring road, was reopened to public comments. A raft of documents were added to address environmental concerns.

Since people were allowed to officially have their say again, the number of objections has soared above 5,000.

In its objection, Ludlow Town Council describes the project as "undemocratic" and running counter to all COP26 proposals from the 2021 climate change summit.

A letter, signed by town clerk Gina Wilding, says: "Ludlow Town Council would like to re-object to the North West Relief Road planning application following the submission of new documents to the planning portal by Shropshire Council in February 2023.

"(Ludlow Town) Council had hoped that (Shropshire) Council would amend the scheme to acknowledge the huge concerns over the project’s spiralling costs, its inability to sustainably tackle Shrewsbury’s traffic congestion, its devastating environmental impact and the record-breaking level of public concern that has been voiced since it was announced in 2019.

"However, it has failed to address the concerns of members of the public and local organisations including Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Bridgnorth, and Ludlow town councils.

"Ludlow Town Council’s previously communicated concerns are that Shropshire Council should urgently disinvest from the environmentally and financially destructive North West Relief Road. The scheme is undemocratic in view of the huge weight of public and professional opposition, runs counter to all the COP26 proposals, is based on historic, now incorrect, assumptions about the growth in car numbers and will make us one of the most fossil fuel polluting counties in the UK.

"The new plans show that the application area is now around 40 per cent larger than originally proposed, with additional new access roads. This will cause even more damage to irreplaceable veteran trees, hedgerows and vital wildlife habitats, making a mockery of Shropshire Council’s claim to be taking the climate and nature crises seriously. Shropshire Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and committed to reducing emissions across the county.

"The council has also expressed support for the Climate & Ecology Bill, which seeks to put into law the need to urgently halt the climate and nature crises. The NWRR’s carbon footprint and destruction of nature cannot be squared with either of these aims. Given Shropshire Council’s failure to reconsider this scheme in any meaningful way, Ludlow Town Council would like to reiterate its ongoing objection to the NWRR."

Shropshire Council believe the project will help improve traffic problems in Shrewsbury, improve air quality in the town centre and bring economic benefits to Shrewsbury and neighbouring areas. Leader Lezley Picton insists "it should have been built 40 years ago", and that a "silent majority" supports the project.

To view or comment on the application, visit bit.ly/3MJhqA1.