Shropshire Council's controversial £170m bypass has run into more trouble after the regional water company mistakenly announced a road closure for advance works despite continuing funding doubts.
Severn Trent Water wrote to Shrewsbury residents to inform them of a road closure on Shepherd’s lane from Monday (22 July) for approximately six weeks for a sewer diversion ‘required to serve the new bypass being constructed’.
It adds that the sewer diversion is ‘in response to an approved application from Shropshire Highways’.
@lezley4tern @BBCShropshire
— Julian Dean. Cllr in Shrewsbury. Green Party. (@JulianDean99) July 15, 2024
??Why are Severn Trent diverting services for a road that has:
NO notice of planning permission?
NO full business case?
NO guaranteed funding?
Is @ShropCouncil funding this work?
In what world does this look like good financial management??? pic.twitter.com/iiU3oiRJ7b
The news has led to criticism that the council is acting prematurely in the absence of confirmed funding.
However, it said in a statement: ‘The letter was sent out in error by the company involved, and without the council’s prior knowledge. There are no planned diversion works in that area at this time in advance of the planned NWRR.’
In fact, the highway authority’s own interactive roadwork map shows a road closure at the site from 22 July to 30 August, whose status is ‘granted’.
A council spokesperson said the letter referenced an earlier iteration of the overall programme, adding that it is usual practice to pre-emptively book road space for such works through the accepted permitting approach and for works programmes to be amended.
The mix-up has occurred as a report from its portfolio holder for highways and transport, Dan Morris, sets out the complex juggling that the authority is carrying out while seeking funding confirmation from the scheme.
Cllr Morris’ annual report to the council states in relation to the scheme that ‘the optimum programme of advanced works and utility diversions has now been established and will continue up to the point of Main Contractor mobilisation’.
The report makes clear that, despite a public promise from former transport secretary Mark Harper that the road will be ‘fully funded’, the position remains highly uncertain.
It states: ‘No formal offer has yet been received by the Council, but the request for clarity will be repeated to the new national administration.’
It adds that, following discussions over other funding sources, such as Section 106 developer contributions, ‘there remains full confidence that the Council has a fall-back position to fully meet the emerging costs of the scheme should the “fully funded” offer not go forward in the light of the recent national election’.
In answer to a question for the council meeting, Cllr Morris confirmed that the only financial commitments in place are the original £54.4m DfT contribution under the Large Local Majors Programme and £4.2m through the former Marches LEP.
The council’s position remains that it will not know the cost of the scheme, and cannot submit a full business case (FBC) to the Department for Transport, until it has selected a main contractor under a procurement process that began in January.
Cllr Morris’ report states: ‘The current programme forecasts FBC submission to DfT in September 2024.’
In relation to the remainder of the authority’s network, the report notes that Shropshire has been awarded an additional £2.6m central government funding for highway maintenance for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 financial years under Network North, with an expected additional £134m, over seven years.
It adds: ‘We are working with DfT officials to better understand the timing and scope for that support,’ but notes that ‘despite current additional funding from the council, modelling shows that this is still only sufficient to provide a small improvement in condition at the current time, which is being further challenged by spiralling inflation in highways maintenance’.
