Government scraps 'unaffordable' A27 Arundel bypass

Plans for a bypass to take traffic on the A27 away from Arundel have been scrapped

Plans for a bypass to take traffic on the A27 away from Arundel in West Sussex have been scrapped.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the scheme had been scrapped as the new Labour government had inherited a projected overspend of £21.9bn from the Conservatives.

National Highways said making changes to the road would reduce congestion, increase road capacity and improve safety.

Ms Reeves told the House of Commons: “If we cannot afford it, we cannot do it.”

A plan for an A27 Arundel bypass in West Sussex was estimated to cost at least £320m. It had been put on hold by the previous government until 2025

The chancellor said the spending audit had revealed “£1bn of unfunded transport projects” committed to next year.

She said Transport Secretary Louise Haigh will undertake a “thorough” review of them.

Ms Reeves said: “As part of that work, she has agreed not to move forward with projects the previous government refused to publicly cancel despite knowing full well that they were unaffordable.

“That includes proposed work on the A303 and the A27.”

'Rat running'

The proposed improvements at Crossbush had been previously deferred until at least 2025.

The preferred route, revealed by National Highways in 2020, avoided the South Downs National Park, but was close to the villages of Binstead, Walberton and Tortington.

Arundel and South Downs Conservative MP Andrew Griffith said his constituency would "pay the price" for Labour's plans with "continued congestion, rat running and pollution".

The RAC motoring group's head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “These budget cuts have created more questions than answers about exactly when we’ll start to see the government improve the condition of Britain’s broken roads.”

He warned the cancellation of the A27 Arundel bypass “doesn’t scratch the surface of the problem”.

Kay Wagland, of Arundel South Coast Alliance for Transport and the Environment, said the group were “relieved” that the scheme had been cancelled.

"The writing was already on the wall for this destructive and unpopular road scheme even before the election,” she said.