Date set for Shrewsbury relief road conditions and final planning permission to be considered
A date has been set for a meeting which would give final planning approval for Shrewsbury's controversial North West Relief Road.
Shropshire Council's own application for the road was given consent by its Northern Planning Committee in October last year – but it was approved with the caveat that the council would draw up a series of 'conditions' to satisfy outstanding concerns from the Environment Agency (EA) and Severn Trent.
It has now been confirmed that the committee will consider the conditions on Thursday, February 15.
The details of the conditions, and the extent of any agreement with the EA and Severn Trent, are not yet public, with the agenda for the meeting set to be published on Wednesday, February 7.
Shropshire Council has been working on the conditions since the committee approved the application.
If the conditions are given the green light then the council can proceed and submit the 'full business case' (FBC) for the road to the government.
If the government then approves the FBC and provides the 'full funding' previously pledged by Minister Mark Harper, then the scheme would be able to go ahead.
The concerns from the EA and Severn Trent relate to the potential for work from the construction to contaminate Shrewsbury's drinking water.
This is due to major building work for a bridge included in the road planned to take place near to the bore hole which provides the drinking water at Shelton.
There have also been calls reassurances over the drainage system planned for a roundabout in the area, to make sure the water source could not be contaminated by spills from any vehicles which might crash.
Discussions over the EA's position on the construction of the road, and its concerns, have been the major source of delay in the project.
Following the committee's approval in October the EA also accused Shropshire Council of misrepresenting its position in relation to its objections.
Councillor Dan Morris, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways, has welcomed the latest developments.
He said: "I am pleased to see that the conditions are going before the committee in February and look forward to hearing what the committee has to say."
