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The Society's Chair is

Jeremy Milln

Contact details

Tel: 01432 357085; Mob: 07779 034457

E-mail: Jeremy.Milln@gmail.com

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​​The Society’s Chair, at the invitation of the Editor

of the Hereford Times contributes an occasional

“Opinion Piece” for Herefordshire’s principle

weekly newspaper of record.

 

Previous articles see Topics Tab E-K

Hereford Times Opinion Pieces​

 

TALKING POINT HEREFORD TIMES - 12th October 2025  

Given Herefordshire Council's £27m revenue budget deficit its proposed 3.7km Southern Link Road, a stand-alone scheme now rebranded as ' bypass phase one', should concern us. The cost of this is put at £35m, incidentally the same as Hereford's 0.9km inner city link road. It would be funded through capital receipts and corporate borrowing, the interest for which would be met by increases in Council Tax and/or cuts. In a begging letter the Council Leader wrote to the Transport Secretary on 1st October this: 'will significantly impact our revenue budget'

 

The same letter claims the SLR to be 'shovel-ready' and 'supported by a strong cost-benefit ratio'. The Council costs the SLR at £9.5m/km, yet comparable schemes, such as Norfolk's West Winch  are nearer £40m/km, a reality which discredited the Shrewsbury NWRR.

 

Freedom of Information disclosures imply that the scheme's 2016 planning consent was not lawfully preserved.  Its 2018 consent has lapsed entirely. The design makes no provision for public or active travel, failing to meet current standards.  There are no agreements with National Highways for the junction with the A49 at Grafton, or to adopt it as the A49 trunk, let alone is it identified in the Government's Strategic Road Investment Strategy. There is no agreement with Network Rail for an overbridge at Haywood. Its drainage design is unapproved, its embankments require 'value-engineering', biological survey data is missing and not all landowners have agreed to sell.

 

Optimism bias is common among promoters of motor roads, but even at this level the Council is unable to demonstrate value for money and therefore cannot provide a 'robust business case' as the letter claims.

 

And of course the 'bypass', redefined as a development corridor for car-dependent housing, is acknowledged to be incapable of relieving city centre congestion. This is the one thing current politicians, unwilling to support viable alternatives to driving such as a proper park & ride, have promised, leaving drivers stuck in traffic. Cogitatio perturbans est.