WREXHAM Council’s leadership has said it will be disastrous for the city’s economy if A483 improvements do not happen.
As far back as 2018 when Clwyd South MS Ken Skates was Economy and Transport Minister, funding was pledged for work to improve junctions 3 to 6 on the A483 – but plans have since been put on hold.
The Welsh Government announced a pause on new road building schemes in June, 2021 while a review is carried out to reduce carbon emissions. And the Welsh Government is still considering its response to the findings of that review.
According to Wrexham Council’s leader and deputy leader, this uncertainty about whether the work will happen puts the new city in limbo when looking at plans for growth.
Speaking at a media briefing, the leader of the council, Esclusham Cllr Mark Pritchard (Ind), said: “The Welsh Government have a big role to play here. The next really big ticket is the Roads Review. That has to happen.
“We have to have infrastructure improvement to allow Wrexham to grow as a city and to move forward – and that could stagnate us and stop us moving forward.
“That is the most important piece of the jigsaw at this moment in time, that money comes from the Welsh Government and is invested so we improve the junctions.”
Cllr Pritchard added that the authority is in favour of alternative travel, such as public transport, but said it would be “foolish” not to invest in infrastructure improvements across Wales.
Deputy Leader, Johnstown Cllr David A Bithell (Ind) added: “It would be disastrous for Wrexham as a city if we don’t get the funding to carry on the strategic junctions which will grow the economy.
“The reality is it’s not all about decarbonisation. That’s fine but you still need an adequate road network to make sure large towns and cities function across Wales.
“You can’t put all your eggs in one basket and say we’re putting it all into public transport, you do have to invest to make places like Wrexham grow.
“If it doesn’t come, it jeopardises our Local Development Plan and it would be disastrous for the economy of Wrexham, so I hope they consider it really carefully as lots of work has gone on in this area over the last five years to get where we are.”
In a statement released last week about the Roads Review, Lee Waters MS, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, said: "The Roads Review makes recommendations about future transport policy as well as judging the 55 roads schemes in the current pipeline against existing policy.
"Responding to the recommendations is a complex piece of work which has been further complicated by the significant reduction in our spending power following the UK Government’s financial crash. As a result of the Autumn Statement the Welsh Government’s capital budgets will be 8.1 per cent lower in 2024-25."
He added: "It is important that we now reconsider our full response to the Roads Review in light of the deteriorating fiscal and economic situation we have been placed in by the UK Government.
"We will set out our response, together with those schemes which we will be taking forward, in our National Transport Delivery Plan, which will be published shortly."
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