Councillor declines to put cost limit on controversial Shrewsbury relief road project

A meeting on Wednesday was told that more than £20 million has already been spent on the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road project which has not yet been granted planning permission.

Councillor Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for physical infrastructure, justified the spending so far on the project but said the council "do not have a definitive likely cost at this time".

In response to a question from Councillor Rob Wilson, Councillor Carroll said: "The council is still developing its detailed design and monitoring market prices and as such do not have a definitive likely cost at this time.

"Should planning approval be granted a full business case will be developed for submission to the Department of Transport to release funding."

Councillor Wilson had referred to a piece in the Shropshire Star on the August 25, when Shrewsbury and Atcham's Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski was quoted as saying that “taxpayers” will already have to pay more” for the North West Relief Road.

"Please could you tell the taxpayers of Shropshire how much more they will have to pay? And what amount does the administration consider too high to burden taxpayers with?"

Councillor Wilson used the opportunity of a follow up question to quiz Councillor Carroll about noise suffered by Copthorne residents resulting from test drilling to do with the project. Councillor Carroll said the authority has apologised to residents over the issue.

Campaigner Jamie Russell had also asked the council for a "full breakdown of the money spent to date on the North West Relief Road".

In Mr Russell's absence a council officer read out the question.

"I understand that the council will have spent £20.4m on preparatory work on the project between 2014/15 and the end of 2022.

"In the breakdown of the figures received the highest single expense was on Professional Services Costs at a total cost of £12.1m over the period. Please could the cabinet provide a breakdown of what this figure encompasses exactly. The term 'Professional Services Costs' is rather vague.

In response Councillor Carroll said that the £12.1m Professional Service Costs incurred by the NWRR to date are the "expected and planned project development costs incurred through Shropshire Council's term consultants, WSP, in line with the Outline Business Case forecast.

He added that "Key activities within this scope include (although this list is not exhaustive); initial design, developing detailed highway designs, development of the design around the numerous bridges and structures required, oversight of environmental and ground condition surveys, preparation and submitting the current planning application documentation and submitting further detail responses where required by stakeholders, preparation of the required Environmental Statements and associated mitigation plans, engagement with supply chain and key stakeholders, land owner engagement, and ongoing preparation of the full business case.

"This activity, at this cost and level of detail, have been scoped and approved within the Outline Business Case, and is appropriate and commensurate with the requirements of both the Local Planning Authority and the Department for Transport on a project of this scale."

The overall cost of the project was recently put at £80.1m with the majority of the funding for the project from the Department for Transport, which has provided £54m, while the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership has given £4.2m.

The council is expecting to have the application for the road considered by its planning committee before the end of the year.

The relief road, which would stretch for four miles from Churncote Roundabout to Battlefield, would effectively complete the ring road around Shrewsbury.

The proposals for the road have met with considerable criticism, with significant environmental campaigners arguing that it is an outdated solution, while also warning of fears that the costs could spiral, with Shropshire Council being responsible for any overspend.

So far the planning application has seen 5,005 comments received by the council, with the vast majority, 4,782, in objection and 209 in support. Objectors have included town councils including Ludlow and Bridgnorth.