Jurassic Coast highway won’t be included in Local Plan review (losing out by just one vote)

Cllr Ian Bruce called for the line of the road to be put into the review plan, arguing that unless it was included, the road would almost certainly not be built. The plan shapes development in the area until 2036.

But borough councillors rejected the argument 13 to 12 after hearing that it still might be included in plan revisions at a later date if funding can be found to build it and a case made for its cost effectiveness.

The road, linking Wyke Regis and Chickerell, also known as the western relief road, has been talked about for years but has never won Government backing and the finance which goes with it.

Cllr Bruce said: “There is one enormous thing missing from the plan review. We are committed to it, and West Dorset District Council and Dorset County Council are committed to it, and that’s the Jurassic Highway.

“It’s not in because it is said we won’t get any money for it, but we can be absolutely certain that if it’s not in the proposals it won’t be built.”

He said that more than 70,000 people could benefit from the road, yet just 20,000 would be helped by a new A35 to A37 link being proposed in the local plan review for Dorchester.

He claimed that by safeguarding the route of the road in the plan review document it could release enough land for 1,000 houses and help local businesses as well as those who might use the route to commute from the Weymouth and Portland area to work.

But Cllr Kate Weller told him that the route wasn’t in the plan because it wasn’t a proper relief road and all it was likely to relieve was traffic through Wyke Regis – by building through an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“There is still one road on and off the island. All this would achieve, by spending £87million or whatever the figure is, is to get from Wyke Regis to Ferrybridge three minutes quicker,” she said.

Planning policy officer Trevor Warwick said that if Cllr Bruce’s proposal was accepted it would delay the plan review because the council would have to employ highway consultants to work up a route for the road.

Cllr Ray Novak said the road was not included in the plan review because the Conservative Government would not support it.

“But there isn’t enough economic benefit to support it, whatever the Government is,” he said, adding that the Dorchester road link would get backing because it brought jobs and houses.

The western relief route would link the A354 at Ferrybridge with the B3157 Chickerell Road at the Link Road junction, bypassing the A354 through built-up areas including Wyke and Boot Hill.

The scheme has the support of both West Dorset MP Sir Oliver Letwin and South Dorset MP Richard Drax.

Mr Drax told the Echo at the end of June: “We need to get traffic out of the centre of Weymouth and more importantly, create better access to Portland Port which is expanding its commercial traffic.

“The demand for something to take the pressure off Boot Hill is something I have been talking about for seven years.

“We need a better road infrastructure so that heavy good vehicles can use an alternative route to Portland Port.