MP welcomes latest revelations of Arundel by-pass

The move to discount the unpopular ‘online’ improvements to the existing A27 through the town has today (Tuesday, September 16) been welcomed by Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert.

The MP revealed that a full Arundel bypass is under active consideration by the Government.

The news comes as Mr Herbert welcomed the launch of a residents’ survey to support the campaign to upgrade the A27.

The survey has been published by the A27 Action campaign which was launched in June by MPs, councils and business leaders to make the case for dualling the A27 across West Sussex.

Mr Herbert said: “We have made great progress, and A27 upgrades including an Arundel bypass are now under active consideration, so we must continue to make the case.

“It is very encouraging that a proper ‘offline’ bypass of Arundel is being looked at formally, while the ‘online’ options through the town which had been mooted, but which would have been very unpopular and damaging, have been ruled out.

“The A27 Action residents’ survey will provide useful evidence and feedback for the campaign, so I urge local people to take part.”

On Friday (September 12) Mr Herbert met with other members of the A27 Action Steering Group to review the campaign’s progress and discuss next steps.

The Steering Group comprises of Mr Herbert, Louise Goldsmith, leader of West Sussex County Council, Pieter Montyn, the county council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, councillor Gill Brown, leader of Arun District Council, and Martin Fausset, managing director of Ricardo, in Shoreham.

The A27 Action campaign has been gathering strong support from local businesses and are now inviting local people to complete a residents’ survey, which can be found on the A27 Action website here.

Last month Nick Herbert and East Worthing & Shoreham MP Tim Loughton attended a meeting held in Eastbourne with Department of Transport officials to discuss the Government’s feasibility study on A27 improvements at Arundel and Worthing.

Nick Herbert has long campaigned for a full Arundel by-pass and in June invited the Transport Secretary to West Sussex to see the problems of congestion on the route.

The A27 is one of six road schemes competing for funding from a £24 billion pot of promised road infrastructure spending over the next five years.

Further announcements are expected when the Chancellor delivers his Autumn Statement on Wednesday, December 3.