Under Secretary of State for Transport, Andrew Jones, wrote to South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge following a meeting earlier this year to discuss provisional figures for a relief road for the town.
Sudbury has long been blighted by heavy traffic congestion and calls for a bypass have recently been stepped up due to the volume of HGVs cutting through the town’s narrow historic streets.
The main issue has always been how to fund the project. This was given a welcome boost when it was announced in December that £100,000 had been pledged to fund initial design work.
The funding, agreed by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and local authority partners, is currently being used to develop the case for the bypass scheme and this is due to be finalised shortly.
Although Mr Cartlidge admitted it would be “a battle” to get the scheme funded, he said the minister was impressed by what had been achieved locally so far.
In a letter to Mr Cartlidge, Mr Jones said: “I recognize that there has already been considerable development work undertaken in helping take forward the scheme and I was particularly impressed with the positive engagement at all levels between local partners.”
According to the letter, £475 million within the Government’s Local Growth Fund (LGF) has been targeted for ‘larger’ transport projects which will be subject to a competitive process and open to bids from local areas.
Mr Jones said he would write to the chair of the New Anglia LEP with regard to the project potentially being funded locally through a growth deal or devolution deal funding.
Mr Cartlidge described the follow up letter from the minister as “very positive”.
He added: “We all know that it is critical for a project like this for every relevant stakeholder to be engaged and I’m sure all those with an interest in the scheme will be glad to have been noticed at ministerial level.
“Of course, what I also know having now spent my first full year as an MP is that lots of my colleagues and MPs from all parties are pushing for relief road schemes or comparable transport plans in their constituencies that require significant funding at a time when public expenditure remains tight.
“I showed the minister part of the draft business case from Suffolk County Council and we now await the finalised business case, the development of which has been helped by funding from the LEP.
“With that, we can step up another gear with partners such as the LEP to really push the case for the bypass.”
- Published in the EADT.