The petition of residents of the UK,
Declares that the town of Sudbury, Suffolk, has suffered from heavy congestion for too long, hampering the development of the town, causing dangerous levels of pollution and reducing the living standards of its residents; further that the Department for Transport should recognise the strong business case, the support of the Suffolk County Council, the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and the Haven Gateway Partnership; and further the Government should provide support for the construction of a Sudbury bypass, including any necessary funding, to improve the future of the town and surrounding areas; and further that a local paper petition and online petition on this matter received 3,711 signatures.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Department of Transport to support the construction of a Sudbury bypass.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by James Cartlidge, Official Report, 31 January 2018; Vol. 635, c. 940.][P002106]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Jesse Norman):
The Government have an ambitious strategy for tackling congestion across the country. This includes significant new investment in both the strategic and local road networks, as well as encouragement for more sustainable transport including buses, walking and cycling.
The Department for Transport understands traffic congestion can be experienced at certain times in the centre of Sudbury, along with air quality issues in the town. The Department would urge all local partners to work together in looking for viable transport solutions to these issues.
Any new bypass at Sudbury would be a local transport project and therefore a matter for the local highway authority, Suffolk County Council, to take forward including setting out how they plan to fund the scheme. Government funding for such schemes on the local highways network is currently provided through the Local Growth Fund (LGF). In line with the Government’s commitment to devolution, all LGF funding up to March 2021 has been devolved to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to administer in line with locally identified priorities. If Suffolk County Council wish to seek LGF funding for a new bypass they should therefore look to the New Anglia LEP. The future of such funding after 2021 is still under discussion.
The A134 through Sudbury is on the Government’s proposed Major Road Network (MRN) which is out for consultation until 19 March 2018. Should it be designated as part of the MRN then this scheme could be eligible for MRN funding in the future.