2020-2021: the Arundel Bypass Grey Route controversy

On 15th October 2020, Highways England announced the Grey Route as their new Preferred Route.  Controversial indeed!  This flies in the face of public opinion: in their autumn 2019 consultation, 64% said they wanted to use the existing line of the road with a short bypass or Do Nothing.  Most of those said they wanted the local communities' route the Arundel Alternative.  Only 7% said they wanted Grey.

Highways England are rejecting public opinion in order to profit from building the longest available length of new four-lane dual carriageway.  The impact on the National Park in noise, wildlife severance and visual intrusion would be severe. 

The cost of this damage is out of all proportion to any benefit.  Against a £100-250M scheme budget it has now risen to £320-455M. It will go up further as the cost of a viaduct over the Arun Valley and of mitigation has not yet been included.  Half a billion will be just the start point for financial cost.  And then there is the human, climate, ecological and landscape cost. 

READ ALL ABOUT IT! 

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15.11.21 The Argus:  "Furious residents protest as A27 Arundel Bypass starts to 'scar historic landscape'"    similarly in Littlehampton Gazette  15.11.21 

6.11.21  West Sussex Gazette "A27 Arundel bypass project is delayed - this is why"
              also in Littlehampton Gazette, Worthing Herald, Chichester Observer

17.8.21 Sussex Bylines "Destroy these outdated A27 plans, not the South Downs"

23.7.21  BBC News:  "Road planners able to ignore climate change, campaigners claim"

30.6.21 Bognor Observer:  "Campaigners hold protest against Arundel A27 Bypass Route"

29.6.21 The Guardian:  "UK road building scheme breaches climate change commitments, high court told"

27.6.21 ITV Meridian News:  Protests that Highways England is rushing things to start before Arundel Bypass is rightly cancelled

27.6.21  The Guardian: "Getting to Net Zero:  The crunch is coming"

22.06.21 Littlehampton Gazette:  "Fears Lyminster Bypass will cause an increase in traffic"

08.05.2021 BBC News: "Government to scale back £27 Bn Roads Program"

07.05.21  BBC News:  "Road and rail building plans under review after Covid" 

13.04.21 Construction News:  "Bam Nuttall lands £320M A27 Arundel Bypass main contract"

6.04.21 Chichester Observer "Call to extend the South Downs National Park boundary to protect green corridor south of Arundel"

18.03.21  BBC News - it begins:  "Oxford-Cambridge road scrapped after cost analysis"
                 Also UK Gov press release same date here

10.03.21  BBC News:  "UK Environmental protections 'being flouted' " 

12.02.21  The Guardian: "£27Bn road plan in doubt after Schapps overrode official advice"

1.1.21  Open letter from Professor John Whitelegg to Grant Schapps

10.12.20 Worthing Herald: "A27 Bypass: New Roads lead to More Housing"

9.12.20 BBC News: Climate Change Committee says 'leave cars at home whenever possible'

2.12.20  Littlehampton Gazette & Chichester Observer:  If the Arundel Bypass can get £450M , Worthing wants £600M and Chichester also wants more for their own big bypass ideas to preserve car dominance in their own areas.

Nov.2020 The Argus: "There is an alternative to the dreaded A27 Arundel Bypass"

29.11.20  The Guardian: "Questions over HS2 and new roads as coronavirus prompts transport inquiry"

19.11.20  Worthing Herald:  "A27 Arundel bypass: ‘Grey route will cause immense damage’ - also Shoreham Herald

18.11.20 BBC News:  "PM's Climate Vision, 10 steps forward 10 steps back?" (Switch road cash to broadband - adviser)

5.11.20     Littlehampton Gazette: "Arundel Bypass route could turn family's home into 6ft trench nightmare"

30.10.20   The Argus:  "Community protest against controversial Arundel A27 bypass" 

30.10.20   Greatest Hits Radio (West Sussex):  "Arundel bypass campaigners hold socially-distanced protest"

29.10.20   Littlehampton Gazette:  "Arundel Bypass: villagers affected by route in socially-distanced protest"

29.10.20   Worthing Herald:  "Why not spend Arundel bypass funding on trains, buses and cycle routes?"  

28.10.20   West Sussex County Times:   "Benefits of Arundel bypass to Storrington and Pulborough based on ‘untested assumptions’"

28.10.20   Transport Action Network:  "High Court to rule on air quality challenge to “largest ever” roads programme"

25.10.20   The Guardian:  "'It feels like a nightmare': Sussex villagers aghast at road plan"

22.10.20   Sussex Live:  "The 2 beautiful Sussex villages set to be 'trashed' by new A27 Arundel bypass route"

21.10.20   West Sussex Gazette:  "New route for Arundel Bypass gets praise and scorn in equal measure"

21.10.20   West Sussex Gazette:  "Why have there been so few measures on A27?"

21.10.20   Transport Network:   "Transport planners call time on major road schemes"

20.10.20  The Argus:  "Arundel A27 bypass 'detrimental' to woodland, trust claims"

19.10.20  The Argus:  "Arundel A27 bypass a "sham of a public process", group claim"

16.10.20  Littlehampton Gazette:  "MP reacts to 'one of the largest Government investments ever made in West Sussex'"  

16.10.20 Chichester Observer:  "Everything you need to know about the new Arundel Bypass route"

16.10 The Argus  https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18799338.arundel-bypass-win-ancient-woodland-trust-says/

15.10.20 Sussex Wildlife Trust article:  “£450 million to sever landscapes and principles”  

15.10.20 The Argus: "Community fury at new A27 Arundel bypass plans"  

15.10.20   ITV News:  Is this the solution to traffic on the A27?

15.10.20 West Sussex County Times:  "Arundel Bypass: chosen route"  

15.10.20  Littlehampton Gazette:  "New Arundel Bypass route for A27 is revealed"  

15.10.20  BBC News:  "New A27 Arundel Bypass avoids National Park"  

15.10.20   UK Gov Press Release:  "Route for new Arundel Bypass announced"   

23.8.20   BBC News:  "Road planners accused of rigging road emissions rules" (Roger Harrabin)