A27 Arundel bypass and Stonehenge tunnel scrapped as part of government spending cull
Two major transport projects planned for the south east of England have been scrapped as part of a government spending cull.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said there is a £22 billion hole in the public finances, which she firmly blamed on the former Conservative government, in a speech in the House of Commons on Monday (29 July).
Rachel Reeves said the Conservatives overspent this year’s budgets by billions of pounds after making a series of "unfunded commitments".
A27 Arundel bypass
The Chancellor said the spending audit has revealed “£1 billion of unfunded transport projects” committed to next year, adding Transport Secretary Louise Haigh will undertake a “thorough” review of them.
She then announced cuts to spending including scrapping the A27 Arundel bypass.
The proposed plan was known as the 'Grey route' which would cover a five mile stretch.
The Highways Agency saod it would cut journey times by 11 minutes - and remove one of the South's biggest bottlenecks.
Reacting to the announcement, a spokesperson for Walberton Parish Council, said: "The Government's decision regarding the A27 bypass is an extremely welcome one for the villages of Walberton, Binsted and Fontwell, which were all adversely affected by the proposed Grey route.
"The route was the longest, most expensive, most environmentally disruptive route of all options presented and, whilst we recognise the need to solve the A27 problem at Crossbush, we hope that the government will now consider cheaper, more sensible and more sustainable solutions."
Stonehenge tunnel
A new £1.7 billion tunnel under the Stonehenge monument on the A303 has also been scrapped.
Wiltshire Council has expressed its disappointment at the announcement.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “We are extremely dismayed and disappointed at the Government’s decision to cancel the A303 Stonehenge tunnel project.
"These improvements are needed now to ease traffic congestion on the A303 and reduce traffic in our communities, and also ensure economic growth in Wiltshire, unlocking jobs and investment in the wider south-west region.
“It has taken many years of lobbying and working closely with partners, including National Highways, to bring this major infrastructure project to Wiltshire, and so it is a huge blow to get to the stage when construction is ready to begin, only to have this taken away from us at this late hour.
“There has already been £160m spent on this project, and cancelling it now wastes that huge investment, including the work to run a power supply up the A360 to the tunnel site.
"There is currently no viable alternative to the tunnel on the table. It would return the Stonehenge landscape to something like its original setting and allow local communities greater access to the ancient stones and the surrounding World Heritage Site.
“We will remain committed to this project and will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to try to bring this project back to Wiltshire, to reduce rat-running in our communities, to reduce journey times to the wider south-west, to boost economic growth in Wiltshire, and to unlock jobs and investment across the region.”
Royal Berkshire Hospital
On the previous government’s commitment to 40 new hospitals, Rachel Reeves said: “Only one new project has opened to patients and only six have started their main construction activity.”
She added previous government gave people “false hope” on the projects, adding in the Commons: “We will conduct a complete review of the hospital programme, with a thorough, realistic and costed timetable for delivery.”
Rachel Reeves said it “will not be possible to take forward” adult social care reform charges, saying it would save more than £1 billion by the end of next year.
It means the redevelopment of the Royal Berkshire Hospital is uncertain.
A spokesperson for the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are seeking further clarification from the Government about what today’s announcement means for the redevelopment of the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
"More delays to providing facilities that are fit for the future will be disappointing news for our patients, staff and our wider community.
"The Secretary of State for Health and the Chancellor have repeatedly acknowledged the poor state hospital estate - and the RBH certainly falls into that category.
"We have made our case for a new hospital loud and clear – our staff and patients deserve world class health facilities.
"We do not believe the current ‘make do and mend’ approach is sustainable in the long term.
"It is costing us tens of millions of pounds a year to keep on top of maintenance work on old buildings which are steadily deteriorating meaning maintenance costs are steadily rising.
"Despite these challenges, our staff continue to deliver safe, high quality healthcare services day in day out to our local communities.”
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