Councillors are today finally set to take a decision on Shrewsbury's controversial North West Relief Road – more than two-and-a-half years after the application was submitted.
Shropshire Council's plans for the highway, which would complete the ring-road around Shrewsbury, have met with committed resistance from environmental groups, while there has been a long-running disagreement with both the Environment Agency and Severn Trent Water.
But, after a succession of delays the 11-member Northern Planning Committee will meet today at 2pm to decide on the proposal. Despite that recommendation the report outlines how the Environment Agency has still not been sufficiently reassured to give its blessing to the scheme. The report outlines the council position, stating:"Clearly, the views of the EA as a statutory consultee need to be afforded great weight, however in this instance the local planning authority has been placed in an unprecedented position with the EA challenging the content of the Environmental Statement and not being prepared to enter into dialogue over appropriate conditions in advance of a committee decision.
"Whilst, it would have been preferrable to have agreement between all parties in advance of consideration of the application, but given that the dialogue has been ongoing for over two and a half years since the submission of the application in February 2021 the LPA has sought external independent advice."
"Some vague and distant notion of economic growth and disingenuous arguments about reducing traffic, pollution and congestion do not justify environmental destruction on this scale, particularly when there are other more effective, environmentally sound and sustainable means of achieving these objectives."
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