A27 Arundel Bypass Decision – Modified Route 5A
Arun District Council is delighted to hear the announcement from Highways England that a modified Route 5a has been proposed for the A27 Arundel Bypass.
This was the route that the council supported, with the suggestion that this could be modified to limit some of the more negative impacts on local communities. We know that considerable research and analysis has been carried out by Highways England as part of their consultation and we are confident that they have made the right decision. Studies on proposals to improve traffic flow on the A27 in the Arundel area were first carried out in 1985 and these and others since then have not been taken forward for financial and environmental reasons. We welcome the decision and look forward to the actual start of the project. We have been at this stage before with the old pink/blue route which was eventually rejected in 2003, having previously been approved.
The Council worked with Highways England to support their consultation by arranging for additional unmanned exhibitions and actively encouraging businesses to respond to the consultation through existing business network meetings. We were keen that as many local people as possible were able to understand the implications of the different options being proposed when they made their responses to Highways England. We looked very carefully at the consultation material and likely impacts across the District, in particular looking at Arundel and its surrounding area, before Councillors made a decision on their preferred option.
Councillor Mrs Gillian Brown, Leader of Arun District Council said: “I am delighted with the choice of route and level of support for this option. I strongly believe that this route will benefit the whole District by improving traffic-flow and supporting the livelihood and success of businesses in the future across the District and in particular the Arundel area. As a key partner we will continue to work closely with other agencies and partners involved in the project to ensure that Arun residents and businesses remain a priority.”