Meole Brace roundabout redesign: More than 2,000 sign petition to stop work in Shrewsbury

The online petition calls for works to Meole Brace Roundabout in Shrewsbury, which are due to start on October 31, to be halted. The petition was launched yesterday and already had more than 2,000 signatures by midday today.

Addressed to Simon Jones, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, it says the roundabout work, which involves cutting a road through the middle of the island, will cause damage to the local wildlife and will destroy habitats for animals and birds.

In response, Mr Jones said the plans had already been through a comprehensive consultation process and promised to publish the council's full habitat survey and report online.

• See the petition here

In an open letter to Mr Jones, those who have started the petition on the website 38Degrees, write: "We would like Shropshire Council to reconsider the works that the roundabout is about to undergo on October 31.

"At the very least we request that plans be put in place to relocate the wildlife carefully and considerately in advance of this project.

"The works will also result in turning an attractive and well established area of greenery, trees and wildlife in to something ugly and unnecessary.

"The Meole Brace roundabout rarely suffers from traffic build up or delays and so the need for, and purpose of, these so called 'improvements' is very hard to fathom and a huge waste of public money!

"Very few members of the local community feel that they have been consulted on or made aware of these changes in advance, and many were unaware at all before the signs went up a few days ago. This has caused great dismay among local residents and concern about the impact of such changes. We request that you hold a public meeting to discuss reasons for these works and allow local community members to voice their concerns, before going ahead.

"We request that you reconsider this unnecessary and expensive venture, which will serve to destroy an attractive and well established nature area, in a place which already has enough through roads to serve the local community."

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "Shropshire Council is aware of the current open petition in relation to Meole Brace Roundabout and will look to respond more fully once this has closed, and has been formally received myself.

"As was widely publicised through the media, online, and through local radio at the time, the Meole Roundabout plans (and the complete Shrewsbury Integrated Transport Package (SITP) of which this is a part), were subject to a full and comprehensive six-week public and stakeholder consultation earlier this year.

"The complete consultation response summary and full report can be viewed at http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/shrewsbury-integrated-transport-package/

"This consultation exercise has informed the final design and phasing of the overall SITP delivery over the next 4 years.

"Also available through this link are the full explanations of the future pressures and challenges that exist to the towns existing road, pedestrian and cycle infrastructure over the next 30 years or more.

"This acknowledges the plans for growth in housing and employment to the south and west of the town, something now starting to be delivered along Oteley Road, and uses Growth Deal funding and developer contributions to give £12m external investment in the towns transport infrastructure over the next 5 years.

"In response to the current public interest in the management of wildlife and habitat issues around the Meole Brace Roundabout, the council now proposes to publish its full Habitat Survey and Report (undertaken April 2016) through the same web link.

"This deals comprehensively with the issues currently being raised through the petition at the Meole location, explains fully the council's position here, and is typical of its approach to delivering any major scheme.

"An update will follow shortly advising when this report is available to the public."

Shropshire Council did hold a consultation on the plans earlier this year and made several changes as a result of the public feedback. One proposal, to cut the English Bridge down to two lanes on the exit from the town centre were abandoned.

Earlier this year Shrewsbury's Friends of the Earth Group described the Meole Brace proposal as "bizarre" and said it would "ruin an attractive major entry point to Shrewsbury".

Speaking at the time group member Frank Oldaker said: "Completely replacing the mature trees and associated planting with a road and path and 'new' landscaping is shocking.

"The new link across Meole Brace island, between Roman Road and the road going south to the Sainsbury Roundabout and on to the A5, means more sets of traffic lights around the island. This will result in extra delays to most traffic which will offset any gains from "smarter" traffic lights control.

"In addition the Sainsbury Roundabout, 200 metres south of Meole Brace, is a bottleneck and frequently causes traffic congestion back to Meole Brace island, which then governs traffic flow around the island. Surprisingly no work is proposed for the Sainsbury Roundabout so any "improvements" at Meole Brace island will frequently be rendered null and void."