Our statement on the proposed cancellation of the A46 Newark Bypass
We have written to the Secretary of State for Transport to strongly oppose the proposed cancellation of the A46 Newark Bypass.
The long-awaited scheme is vital to tackling congestion, improving safety and supporting homes, jobs and economic growth in Nottinghamshire and the wider East Midlands.
We are urging the government to reconsider and commit to delivering the bypass as soon as possible.
Read our letter to the Secretary of State for Transport below.
Dear Secretary of State, Rt Hon Heidi Alexander,
I am writing on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council (the Council) to bring to your attention the Council's formal response to the current RIS3 Variation Consultation (enclosed with this letter). The consultation raises matters of significant strategic importance for Nottinghamshire, the East Midlands and the wider national economy, particularly in relation to the proposed cancellation of the A46 Newark Bypass scheme. I am also highly concerned by the absence of a viable alternative plan to address the traffic congestion and safety issues that the A46 Newark Bypass scheme was originally conceived to tackle.
The Council wishes to place on record its strongest opposition to the proposed cancellation of the A46 Newark Bypass. We remain firmly of the view that the scheme is of national and regional significance, addressing a long-recognised bottleneck on the Strategic Road Network and supporting economic growth, housing delivery, freight movement, road safety and network resilience. These underlying challenges have not diminished since the scheme was developed, examined and subsequently granted development consent.
The Council recognises the difficult decisions facing Government and supports the objective of strengthening national defence capability. We also support the prioritisation of maintenance and renewal investment across the Strategic Road Network where this represents good value for taxpayers. However, we do not believe that these objectives justify the permanent cancellation of strategically important enhancement schemes which have already progressed through extensive development, consultation and statutory approval processes.
The A46 Newark Bypass is particularly important because of its role in supporting nationally important freight and logistics movements between the Midlands, the Humber ports and the wider strategic road network. It is also a critical enabler of planned housing and employment growth across Nottinghamshire and neighbouring authorities. The Council is concerned that the consultation does not adequately explain how the congestion, safety and development challenges which the scheme was designed to address will be resolved if the project is removed from the investment programme.
We are equally concerned that the consultation has not demonstrated why cancellation is preferable to alternatives such as deferral, rephasing, scope optimisation or the exploration of alternative funding arrangements. Given the substantial public investment already committed to scheme development and the granting of Development Consent, we believe there remains a strong case for retaining the scheme within the RIS3 pipeline, even if immediate construction cannot proceed.
The East Midlands has historically received comparatively low levels of transport investment relative to other parts of the country. The proposed cancellation of the A46 Newark Bypass, alongside other recent decisions affecting major transport infrastructure in the region, risks further constraining economic growth and undermining confidence amongst local authorities, businesses and investors in the delivery of nationally sponsored infrastructure programmes.
We therefore respectfully request that the Government reconsider the proposed cancellation of the A46 Newark Bypass, retain the scheme within the Road Investment Strategy programme and publish the evidence and prioritisation methodology that informed the decision. If immediate delivery is not achievable, the Council strongly urges Government to pursue deferral rather than permanent cancellation and to safeguard the considerable work already undertaken so that the opportunity to deliver the scheme in the future is not lost.
Thank you for considering the Council's views. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss our response further with you and your officials.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Bert Bingham
Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment
Nottinghamshire County Council
