Shropshire Council has denied that the proposed Shrewsbury North West Relief Road (NWRR) is in doubt.

In a statement it said: “Reports in the media today have incorrectly claimed that the proposed Shrewsbury North West Relief Road (NWRR) could be in serious doubt because of a funding shortfall.

“This follows a letter sent to all councils across the country by the Department for Transport (DfT) asking them to review the schemes they currently have in their programme as part of a national spending review.”

Lezley Picton, Leader of Shropshire Council, added: “We would like to make it clear that this story is inaccurate and untrue. The letter does ask for all councils to review their proposed and pipeline schemes and we know that the money just isn’t there for some.

“However, the letter also clearly states that any scheme that already has approval at Outline Business Case stage will not be considered for removal unless the relevant council decides otherwise or unless the case for the scheme changes significantly.

“The Shrewsbury NWRR remains a key priority for us as a council and is currently being considered as part of the planning process.

“The NWRR has successfully passed through the Outline Business Case stage, has received an offer of DfT funding, and has formally entered the DfT Large Local Majors delivery programme. We plan to submit a full business case to DfT by the end of 2022, subject to planning approval.

“It is deeply frustrating that the Shropshire Star, despite being aware of this, chose to ignore these facts.

“The case for the road hasn’t changed and it continues to support and deliver the stated aims within the original objectives and the more recent, wider objectives of Government transport investment.

“These include reducing congestion, supporting housing delivery and delivering value for money.

“It’s because of this that we will continue to progress with the scheme, and we remain confident that the funding is in place to deliver it.”