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Archived press release

Western bypasses: experts trash roads plan

24 October 2002

The case for the controversial Western Bypasses of Wolverhampton and Stourbridge has been rejected by the panel of planning experts reporting on Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) for the West Midlands.

The panel’s report, published today, gives its conclusions on the evidence presented at the public examination earlier this year by supporters and opponents of the proposed roads. The construction of the Western Bypasses was recommended by the West Midlands Area Multi-Modal Study, which reported late last year. The roads are seen as essential to the regeneration of the Black Country, but Friends of the Earth and local campaigners believe that they are an attempt to build by stealth the Birmingham Western Orbital motorway, which was rejected by Ministers in the mid 1990s.

According to the RPG panel:

• “We are not convinced by the arguments for the regeneration benefits of the Western Bypasses” (para 8.5.15)
• “In our view the importance of the Western Bypasses to draft RPG’s strategy of urban regeneration is far from proven. Far from opening up the Black Country to economic development which would boost the renaissance of the area, the Panel considers that the new roads would more likely lead to the release of greenfield sites outside the conurbation. Such development would in our view be more likely to encourage further decentralisation than to assist the areas of need. We accept that whatever route was to be chosen, the environmental impact would be significant… In our view no case has been made in terms of benefit at the Regional level to justify the inclusion of the Western Bypasses in RPG”. (para 8.5.28)
• “ … the Bypasses could result in attracting employment investment away from the urban conurbation into the adjacent Green Belt areas. Furthermore, we consider that the environmental harm which would result from the construction of the proposed roads would be significant. We therefore consider that the need for the Western Bypasses to support draft RPG’s spatial strategy is not demonstrated” (para 8.5.32)
• “Specific reference to the Wolverhampton and Stourbridge Western Bypasses should be deleted …” (para R8.12)
  

Friends of the Earth Regional Campaigns Co-ordinator Chris Crean said:
“The panel’s rejection of the case for the Western Bypasses is great news. They have seen through the rickety arguments and demolished the case for these unnecessary and destructive roads brick-by-brick. I hope this will prove the death blow to this grim and pointless threat to our environment".

A briefing on the Western Bypasses is available on request, and the RPG Panel report is available on the website of the Government Office for the West Midlands

For further information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

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