Shropshire Council has sought to shrug off a new estimate of the carbon impact of its controversial relief road scheme by increasing the budget and timescale for its pledge to offset the scheme’s emissions.
However, the highway authority has had to admit that it does not have a fully worked-out or costed plan to achieve the promised offsetting and a report from its consultants admits that the main method identified so far cannot be relied upon.
The council has launched a public consultation after submitting a revised Carbon Impact Assessment for the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road (NWRR) to its Northern Planning Committee.
It said the increase in emissions results from a new assessment methodology from the Department for Transport that accounts for a wider range of activities.
In fact, the main change compared to an assessment in 2021 is to the operational impact of the scheme, with road user emissions estimated to be an additional 23,212 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), compared to a previously forecast reduction of 24,545 tCO2e.
Including a (revised) estimate of 42,045 tCO2e from construction and other impacts, the scheme is now forecast to produce lifetime carbon emissions of 76,761 tCO2e, nearly three times the earlier forecast of 26,711 tCO2e.
In response, the council has extended the timescale for making the road ‘carbon neutral’ from 2030 to 2050 and increased the budget for offsetting from £1.4m to £8.4m, representing a further cost increase for a scheme that is already significantly over its original budget.
A report from consultants WSP states that a process to achieve carbon neutrality has been drafted and identifies initial measures that will be considered as part of this.
It adds: ‘This includes use of and support to the Council’s investment in a specialist pyrolysis company from which carbon from vegetation/biomass removed during construction can be captured and stored as biochar.’
However a separate WSP report in response to challenges from the public about the practicality of the proposal states: ‘It is understood, following conversations throughout the Planning Application process, that the Council’s pyrolysis project is not yet at a sufficient level of maturity to rely on to offset the scheme’s impact.’
Campaign group Better Shrewsbury Transport (BeST) said the new estimates prove that the road is a ‘carbon bomb’ and said the fact that the council currently has no quantified or costed plans to mitigate the NWRR’s emissions is breach of one of its planning conditions.
Mike Streetly of BeST said: ‘Ever since this scheme had its public consultation in 2020 the council has told residents that the NWRR will reduce emissions from drivers in Shrewsbury.
‘Now we learn that’s not true at all. If the council builds the road, they will destroy their own climate emergency declaration and their claim to be a climate leader.'
Shropshire Council said the revised assessment has also been submitted to the Northern Planning Committee to ensure full transparency throughout the planning process.
Cabinet member for highways Dan Morris said: ‘Key to our commitment to match the new offsetting requirements and balance the carbon emissions produced is the clear evidence of the many benefits the NWRR for people across Shropshire.
‘We’re committed to transparency throughout this project to ensure that everyone in our county has access to the full range of facts around the road, so that they, councillors, and ultimately the government, can make an informed decision on what is best for the future of our county.’
