Rimrose Valley bypass: Hundreds protest over plan

Protesters were joined by MPs as they marched to the Port of Liverpool

About 400 people have held a protest against plans for a £250m road through a park in Liverpool.

National Highways announced plans in 2017 to build a dual carriageway through Rimrose Valley, saying it wanted to improve access to the port.

Stuart Bennett, from the Save Rimrose Valley campaign, said the park should not be "bulldozed into oblivion".

Karen Cliffe, from National Highways, said the agency had been "reassessing the programme" following lockdown.

"We recognise the strength of feeling in the area and welcome ideas for making improvements in Rimrose Valley as we continue to progress our preferred route and explore ways to minimise the impact of the scheme," said senior manager Ms Cliffe.

Merseyside MPs Bill Esterson and Peter Dowd also joined the rally during which demonstrators marched to and from the Port of Liverpool's entrance.

National Highways said the planned road would bypass the congested A5036

National Highways, previously known as Highways England, plans to build the new road to bypass congestion on the A5036 between the Switch Island Interchange and Princess Way.

Ms Cliffe said the aim of the A5036 Princess Way scheme was to "improve safety and traffic conditions, support economic growth and both protect and enhance the environment".

The organisation says the Port of Liverpool is set to become busier with the expansion of shipping terminal Liverpool2 and the bypass would "take traffic away" from residential communities.

However campaigners have called for a "sustainable solution to meet the Port of Liverpool's transport needs".

Mr Bennett said: "With roads and transport being the UK's biggest contributor to CO2 emissions, National Highways' plans look more out of touch with reality every passing day.

"The pandemic has shown everyone just how vital our green spaces are for our health, wellbeing and wildlife and how these need to be nurtured and cherished, not bulldozed into oblivion."