20/12/2023 - Permalink

Shropshire Council welcomes confirmation of LEP funding for Oxon Link Road

Related topics: Highways, transport and environmental maintenance / Partner organisations

The route of the planned Oxon Link Road and North West Relief Road

Shropshire Council has welcomed the announcement by the Marches LEP that conditions for securing LEP funding for the planned Oxon Link Road in Shrewsbury have been met.

This will secure £4m of funding towards the costs of the Oxon Link Road which would connect the A5 to the planned North West Relief Road, which, along with the Oxon Link Road, secured planning permission in October subject to conditions.

The Oxon Link Road will help enable the Shrewsbury West Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) which is proposed to be mixture of new homes and businesses at Shelton on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.

Dan Morris, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways, said:

“We welcome the announcement by the Marches LEP which confirms the funding for the Oxon Link Road.

“As plans for the SUE West progress they will generate significant economic benefits for Shrewsbury, and for the county as a whole.”

The benefits of the North West Relied Road are:

  • Free up road space and take traffic out of Shrewsbury town centre, making this a much more attractive place for residents, businesses and visitors. It will also allow more measures to encourage people out of their cars and to walk or cycle more.
  • Improve safety: many Shropshire villages are currently blighted by traffic rat runs trying to bypass the long loop around Shrewsbury created by the incomplete ring road, with HGVs trying to avoid the A5 thundering through villages such as Ruyton-XI-Towns, Baschurch, Forton Heath and Montford Bridge.
  • By reducing traffic in Shrewsbury town centre it will also help improve air quality. Other environmental benefits will be reduced journey times, fewer jams on the A5 around Shrewsbury, alongside the creation of a new network of cycle routes and footpaths.
  • It will provide a huge boost for Shropshire’s economy, making Shropshire businesses more accessible. It is key piece of national and regional transport infrastructure, completes a ring around Shrewsbury that’s been unfinished for 30 years, while also supporting a key international road link with Ireland.
  • It is estimated that 85% of aggregates used in schemes such as this come from Shropshire. Once construction begins, it means that not only will we use local materials, we will also use local people to build it, creating employment and investing in people skills.