Planning protection for M4 relief road scrapped

PLANNING protection for the proposed M4 relief road route has been scrapped after 25 years.

The TR111 route corridor protection for the relief road, which protects areas where new roads are being proposed from any other developments, has been removed by deputy minister for climate change Lee Waters.

The protection, which has been in place since 1995, was retained after First Minister Mark Drakeford decided to scrap the M4 relief road in June 2019 after years of delays and disagreements, but has now been removed following the publication of the South East Wales Transport Commission’s final report last year.

That report recommended a host of measures aimed at easing traffic congestion on the M4 near the Brynglas Tunnels in Newport, including six new train stations between Cardiff and Newport. The move makes it even less likely that the issue will be revisited under the current Labour government in Wales.

Mr Drakeford has repeatedly insisted that the road would not be built and that the “decision is over” but the issue has rumbled on. Last year Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to “take forward” the project, which led to Mr Drakeford accusing the UK Government of “pretending” to have the power to build the road.

Highways and transport are a devolved issue under the terms of the Government of Wales Act 2006 and therefore are at the discretion of the Welsh Government, which has always maintained that the road is a matter to be decided by Wales.

The UK Internal Market Bill which passed into law last December gives additional powers to the UK Government to spend money on otherwise devolved areas such as infrastructure and economic development.

But even though Westminster might now have more power to fund projects like the relief road, it will still ultimately be down to the Welsh Government to build them, and it is highly unlikely that such large projects would be possible without their cooperation.

The relief road recently came up again in March when a Newport City Council motion was passed asking Welsh Government to “carefully consider” a referendum on the road in Newport. Conservative activist Michael Enea also campaigned heavily in favour of the road when he ran in Newport West in May’s elections.

Mr Waters said removing the protection would provide “further opportunities for ongoing work to safeguard the future of the Gwent Levels” and showed the government’s commitment to “protect biodiversity and reduce the carbon footprint of our transport network.”