Wait for southern link road inquiry outcome begins

The nervous wait to hear the fate of Hereford’s proposed Southern Link Road began this week after its public inquiry drew to a close on Tuesday.

Herefordshire Council chiefs may have to wait up to 20 weeks to find out the government inspector’s ruling on the compulsory purchase orders for the road.

The £29m project aims to link the A465 Abergavenny road with the A49 Ross road and would be the vital first stage of the city bypass.

A total of 25 residents objected to the compulsory purchase orders for the land along the proposed route.

One of those, chartered accountant and Breinton parish councillor Liz Morawiecka quizzed council chiefs over the business case for the route.

She said: “These CPOs are premature as we have been repeatedly told that the Southern Link Road is just a part of a much bigger road scheme.

“This bigger road ambition was not made clear in any of the consultations on the Southern Link Road and the South Wye Transport package and so failed to follow due process.

“This bigger road scheme has been repeatedly promoted by Herefordshire Council as a new route for the A49, and our evidence shows that as the full business case comes forward assurances will be given that the A49 will be rerouted.

“Note this will not happen at the strategic outline business case but only when the full business case comes forward.

“If the council was following due process, they would have consulted on the whole Hereford Relief Road scheme from the outset and not in a piecemeal fashion.

A council spokesperson said the Southern Link Road was not a standalone new local highway authority scheme but part of a new trunk road scheme for the A49.

“The objector in her stated objections and representations appears to assert that the strategic outline business case is being presented to substantiate the council’s claim that the scheme is overwhelmingly in the public interest, which is insufficient,” she said.

“The strategic outline business case presented the case for the SWTP in 2014 and stated the benefits of the scheme on the basis of the information available at that time.

“As the scheme has developed, so the business case has similarly been developed in discussion with Department for Transport. This is normal practice for major infrastructure projects and a full business case is submitted subject to confirmation of orders.

“The evidence the council has provided clearly goes beyond the strategic outline business case.”