Welsh Secretary claims scrapping road projects gives impression Wales is closed for business
Wales now appears “closed for business” after all major road building projects were scrapped, according to the Welsh Secretary.
David TC Davies criticised the Labour-led Welsh Government’s decision to overhaul its approach to road building in a bid to put environmental concerns first.
It followed a year-long review by the Welsh Roads Review Panel during which 55 road projects were paused and reassessed.
In response to the panel’s findings, plans for a third Menai bridge will no longer go ahead and neither will the Red Route in Flintshire.
Other projects have been scaled back or postponed, with only 15 of the projects reviewed by the panel to go ahead in their original form.
The Welsh Government has said all infrastructure projects in future must now “reduce carbon emissions and support a shift to public transport, walking and cycling”.
Conservative MP Simon Baynes (Clwyd South), speaking during Wales questions, told the House of Commons: “The Labour Welsh Government has let down Clwyd South and Wrexham very badly by scrapping the A483 junction upgrade, which would have unlocked substantial investment and jobs in our community.
“Would (Mr Davies) agree that the Welsh Government needs to support and maximise the benefits of the UK Government’s Welsh levelling-up fund projects by investing in road upgrades across Wales?”
Economic impact
Conservative frontbencher Mr Davies replied: “The Welsh Government’s response to the roads review gives the impression that Wales is closed for business by determining that no further road-building projects will take place.
“I urge the Welsh Government to consider what the impact is on the economy of not building roads and what is going to be the impact on the long-term prosperity of Wales.
“They should consider how they might build on the record support that Wales has received through the levelling-up fund and city and growth deals by rebuilding roads and improving connectivity across Wales.”
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A bit like not giving Wales the £5B it is due from HS2 – hardly making Wales open for business either is it. Hypocrite.
I completely agree with you! The railway in Wales could be massively upgraded with the 5B from HS2! But the Tories in London don’t give a F*** about wales
No tory seats in Wales? So no investment!
It’s difficult to support policy of reducing number of roads and I think in short-term it should be managed with by sizeable investment into public transport and in longer run, when new petrol/diesel cars are banned by UK government in 2030, it can be reviewed again. I am sympathetic on basis that new road Tories want is the one taking people out of Wales and they have no interest in investing here unless they can see the English border from point of investment. I am sympathetic on basis of M4 relief road was looked at at length and with lots… Read more »
More ‘naughty children in Cardiff’ stuff from the patronising Tories.
Well Mr Davies, prove to us you want Cymru ” open for business ” by giving us the same deal as N Ireland to enable us to trade with the EU on the same terms as them. I know what the answer is, as do you, just like the NO for HS2 money, the devolving of justice and policing . Please do us all a service and quit the hypocrisy and crawl back under that Westminster boot you were licking.
No more roads, but thousands of new houses to be built on green spaces destroying historical sites and the environment. There will be at least one vehicle to each of these new houses that will add to the congestion on the roads. Is there need of these new houses when there are already thousands of empty properties in Wales? Who exactly are these new houses for? They want to tax tourists, but people are not going to visit Wales when the roads are over-congested. This government will eventually do a u-turn on this road ban and common sense will prevail.
There is very little evidence that transportation investment promotes economic growth. But it is not the latter we should be aiming for. The environment cannot withstand our continued clipping, slicing and dicing. We need degrowth if we are to survive as a species. As usual, Tory politicians seem to think we are still in the 1960s. They need to catch up and England needs to slow down. Plenty of opportunities for personal growth, community growth and societal growth anyway.
Doesn’t to me, it makes me think Cymru is looking at the need for change. Environmental policies don’t happen by signing up and doing the opposite. We have huge issues of too many vehicles for parking locally. Pavements full of cars ruining life. We need public transport ideas and not just terrible trains.
Well it was bound to happen one day ….i have found the elusive goldren grail …! There is something i can actually agree with David Davies on …he has a point re the Welsh Gvts mad road or should i say lack of road programme… Only a day after Lee of Llanelli warns us that our rural buses are to be cut by 20 per cent ….the muddle and back trak policies on our much needed new Menai Crossing / by pass policy needs to be examined. The days of Dafydd Wigleys great and successful efforts to boost our northern… Read more »
Fair enough to scrap new roads but public transport on existing routes MUST improve.Many more EV charging points needed to allow change in Rural and semi rural areas.