More than 1,000 sign petition urging rethink over scrapping of Llanbedr bypass scheme

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition urging the Welsh Government to reconsider its decision to scrap the Llanbedr bypass scheme.

Ministers announced earlier this month that they would not be proceeding with the £14m project after a panel concluded the road was likely to increase carbon emissions.

However, the move was described as “a kick in the teeth” for the area amid concerns over traffic problems in the village.

A petition was recently launched calling on the government to rethink the decision due to the environmental impact of queuing traffic.

Annwen Hughes, who started the petition, said: “Following months of constructive discussions, the government withdrew from the scheme to build the bypass at Llanbedr, Gwynedd, based on flawed information in their report.

“Not only will abandoning the bypass be detrimental to the environment as hundreds of cars will continue to queue in the village, the decision is also a huge blow to any hopes of developing high quality jobs at the airport – the main hope of providing good work for our local people in this part of Meirionnydd.”

It has been reported that the scrapped bypass project has cost taxpayers nearly £1.7m.

The road was initially approved last year before being placed on hold in June after ministers launched a review to consider the impact of new road building schemes on the environment.

The announcement that the scheme would not move forward came after it was examined by a committee made up of transport and climate change experts.

In a written statement, Deputy climate change minister Lee Waters said alternative measures would be looked at to address traffic issues in the village instead.

He said: “The chair’s report concludes that the proposed scheme does not align well with new Welsh Government transport and climate policy, and advises that it is not taken forward.

“I have accepted the chair’s recommendations and Welsh Government will not support any further work on the current Llanbedr access road scheme.

“However, I am committed to providing funding for the development and implementation of an alternative package of measures to address the negative impact of traffic in Llanbedr and in other villages on the A496, whilst also encouraging modal shift and reducing CO2 emissions.

“The package can also consider access requirements to the airfield to support associated developments.

“I have asked my officials to work with Gwynedd Council to commission Transport for Wales to develop an alternative package for consideration, in line with the chair’s recommendations.”