The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership is poised to withdraw £4.2 million in funding from Shrewsbury's controversial and much-delayed North West Relief Road project.
Members of the LEP board voted on Thursday afternoon to claw back the grant it awarded Shropshire Council in 2015, saying it had a “responsibility” to redistribute it to more deliverable projects. LEPs are non-statutory bodies responsible for local economic development in England.
The scheme was expected to go before Shropshire Council’s northern planning committee for a decision last month, but was delayed again after the Environment Agency said it still had concerns.Addressing the board, Shropshire Council’s director of place, Mark Barrow, said ongoing discussions with the agency around the environmental assessment were “coming to a conclusion”.
He also said the Oxon Link Road formed a key part of the Shrewsbury West Sustainable Urban Extension, which was already seeing progress in terms of house building and interest from businesses in the planned commercial units. LEP chief executive Rachel Lever said that if the link road grant was recouped, new bids would be invited and the money would need to be re-allocated in line with the original funding requirements, namely to projects aimed at delivering new housing and employment sites and local jobs growth.Ms Lever said: “Eight years ago we funded this scheme and it’s been back to the board a lot of times over the years.
“That for me is the only responsible way forward, because to delay any further – after all the delays we’ve given – potentially leaves it forever, as [the LEP] might not even be around.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Liberty X and Go West top of packed bill for Shrewsbury Flower ShowThis year’s Shrewsbury Flower Show has all the ingredients to be one of the best in the event’s long and proud history, organisers say.
Read more »
Shrewsbury mother plagued by rats and left waiting over a week for pest controlA mother of two says she has been left with rats scurrying around her home for nearly two weeks after asking her housing association for help.
Read more »
Shrewsbury Street Pastors unveil new vehicleThe group says it'll help deal with a growing number of mental health cases in addition to those who need help on a night out. Full story:
Read more »
'Off the scale' Shrewsbury drink driver who crashed into petrol pump banned for three yearsA Shrewsbury drink driver who was almost six times the legal alcohol limit when he crashed into a petrol pump before falling unconscious in a police car, has been banned from the road for three years.
Read more »
Stunning Elizabethan home in Shrewsbury listed on the marketAn exclusive Elizabethan house in Shrewsbury has gone up on the market, where you will get lost in time inside the stunning property.
Read more »