Fears £40m relief road scheme could jeopardise other transport projects

Dale Spridgeon, Local Democracy Reporter

A proposed £40 million relief road could swallow up funding needed for other transport projects across north Wales.

No construction funding has been identified for the long-awaited scheme at Llanbedr, Gwynedd, prompting councillors to seek assurances that other regional priorities will not lose out.

No construction funding has been identified for the long-awaited low-speed road at Llanbedr, Gwynedd, while the region’s entire Regional Transport Fund allocation for 2026–27 is £28 million.

Members of the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee’s strategic transport sub-committee have called on the Welsh Government to explain how larger schemes could be funded without squeezing out other regional priorities.

The committee discussed a Llanbedr position statement developed by Ambition North Wales and shared with the Welsh Government at its meeting on Monday.

Senior transport officer Adam Graham said the government had recently established a task and finish group, at the request of Deputy Minister for Transport Mark Hooper, to identify a possible funding solution.

Discussions had also taken place with organisations and funding bodies, including the joint committee and Ambition North Wales.

The report described the Llanbedr improvements as an important regional scheme and a high priority in the regional transport delivery plan. Development work has received Regional Transport Fund support in 2026–27.

However, it warned that the construction costs could not be met from that fund alone.

“The cost of the relief road alone is £40 million. The total RTF budget for North Wales for 2026/7 is c.£28m, we have been advised by Welsh Government to assume a flat budget (with no inflation related increase) for future years,” it stated.

“If a large portion of RTF allocation is used for the construction of a new highway project, we would not be delivering on the sustainable transport aspirations of our RTP.”

The fund could nevertheless provide match funding for development work, walking and cycling improvements or environmental measures.

Committee chair Councillor David A Bithell said the need for the scheme was not disputed, but its funding required clarification.

“My concern, as chair, is that if we want some bigger, larger regional schemes to progress, does it come out of the Regional Transport Fund, or does it come from somewhere else?” he said.

“Otherwise you would not have enough to go across the whole of North Wales.”

He proposed inviting the Welsh Government to the next meeting to discuss how larger projects could be delivered without affecting the Regional Transport Plan.

Councillor Mike Priestley said: “We have such a small pot and we have so many projects across six north Wales authorities, such a large scheme could completely wipe out the budget.

“If there is support from the Welsh Government, let’s get them around the table to see how we can move this forward.”

Llanbedr, a village of around 650 residents on the A496 between Barmouth and Harlech, has faced traffic problems for decades, particularly during the holiday season.

Review

Plans for a £14 million bypass were approved in March 2020 but scrapped following a roads review in November 2021. A low-speed relief road was subsequently proposed.

The report identified the narrow village road and listed stone bridge over the Afon Artro as a pinch point. On-road parking further reduced the available width, creating conflict between pedestrians and vehicles.

Traffic on Mochras Road towards Shell Island campsite rises from around 150 vehicles a day in November to 2,000 at peak times.

The report also highlighted gaps in pavements along the A496 and Mochras Road and a lack of safe cycling provision, despite National Cycle Network Route 8 passing through the village.

A briefing note estimated that the first phase, covering the relief road and envisaged for 2026–30, would cost £40 million.

Traffic and environmental improvements within the village, planned for 2030, would add £4 million. Further walking and cycling connections towards Harlech and along Mochras Road, envisaged for 2031–33, were estimated at £8 million.

Railway station 

Improvements to the car park at Llanbedr railway station would cost a further £1.8 million.

Councillor Ifor Glyn Lloyd said: “Everyone has got a road that they want in their area, but in life it is often not what you want but what you need, in this area, they kind of need it.

“It won’t be one pot funding for this, it will be a suite of funding pots. It is an absolute shocker there in the summer.”

Councillor Glyn Banks added: “It simply can’t be funded just out of the RTF it is not practical it will wipe it out for years to come.”