Relief road business plan delayed until Christmas

The relief road will take traffic out of Shrewsbury's town centre

A business plan for a long-awaited bypass in Shrewsbury has been delayed, but is expected to be published before Christmas, Shropshire Council has said.

It is due to include an estimated cost for the North West Relief Road.

The business plan for the scheme, which was first proposed in the 1980s, had been expected to be published on Thursday, but the local authority said it needed more time.

Shropshire Council said the new road, completing the ring road around the north west of the town, would reduce congestion and pollution in the town centre, but has also faced vocal opposition from environmental groups.

Critics include the Environment Agency, which has had concerns about water safety due to the presence of a borehole along the route.

A recent estimate has put the cost of the project at about £80m, but that is expected to rise.

The council has said it expects the work to be fully funded by the government, but that has not yet been confirmed.

A business case sets out the financial costs and benefits of a project and the council said it had needed extra time to work on meeting planning conditions.

It said it had also been exploring ways to get better value for money from contractors.

Dan Morris, the councillor responsible for transport said it was a "very complex scheme".

Former Transport Minister Guy Opperman, part of the previous government, said in February that funding would not be awarded until the full business case for the scheme had been submitted.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.