Chichester’s MP, the district council and county council have welcomed news that the A27 Chichester Bypass major improvement scheme is included in a list of projects to be developed for possible future funding.
Highways England has said that £300 million is available for preparatory work into 32 possible schemes nationwide - although only some of these will be included in its next Road Investment Strategy for the 2025-30 period (RIS3).
A meeting with Highways England last week included Chichester MP Gillian Keegan, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure, Roger Elkins, and Leader of Chichester District Council, Eileen Lintill.
Gillian Keegan MP, who had several meetings with the Secretary of State and Ministers from the Department for Transport to successfully secure the funding, said: “This is the first step on a long journey to improve the current congestion on the A27. Since the previous options were rejected, I have been in many meetings with Government Ministers at the Department for Transport to secure funding to move forward with improving the A27.
“Now we have secured initial development funding I will be working with the Local Authorities to ensure this process is transparent and that all options are explained in detail by Highways England to the people of the Chichester District. My role in this process is to work with national and local agencies to secure funding in the RIS3 budget once plans have been developed and agreed for a future scheme.
“We all know improvements must be made and I will do everything I can to support our councils and communities.”
Roger Elkins, county council Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure, said: “We had a very positive conversation with Highways England.
“Although it must be stressed there is no guarantee of funding for a major scheme, we look forward to re-engaging with the community, other councils, the MP and Highways England in due course to produce a compelling business case for a major A27 scheme.
“Our aim remains finding a long-term solution for the A27 at Chichester that reduces congestion, is viable and affordable and, crucially, has the support of the community.”
Cllr Lintill, Leader of Chichester District Council, said she is grateful that the A27 Chichester Bypass major improvement scheme has been included in the list of schemes to be developed for possible future funding.
“This is good news and a very positive step, but we will be one of many authorities competing for funding and so we will need to make a very good business case for a major A27 scheme,” explains Cllr Lintill. “I must stress that nothing is guaranteed, and at the moment, it’s too early to say what any scheme will look like, but we will be writing to Highways England to ask for an open and transparent process to take place for all our residents, workers and businesses. In considering the options, we will also be asking Highways England to set out its reasons clearly and provide evidence for any deliverable and non-deliverable options.”
As part of the adopted Chichester Local Plan, a number of small scale improvements to the Chichester Bypass to manage the impact of new development have been included, which will need to be completed by 2029. The council leaders and MP have asked that any further technical work on developing a major scheme for the A27 must take the Local Plan scheme into account. They have also asked for any options not considered deliverable by Highways England to be fully explained to stakeholders.
Cllr Lintill added: “I look forward to working closely with our partners and Highways England to ensure that a major scheme to improve this key part of the A27 for our residents, workers and visitors, is included in the next funding strategy.”