WEYMOUTH Civic Society say the western relief road for Portland, dubbed the Jurassic Highway, is needed more than ever.

Weymouth and Portland borough councillors rejected a plea, by a single vote, to include the route for the road in the Local Plan Review which will shape planning in the area beyond 2021.

The committee was told at the time that if the road were to be included in the plan it would delay publication and could cost tens of thousands of pounds just to do enough research to include a feasible route.

The proposals for the new-look plan are now just about to go out for public consultation with the first of a series of public ‘drop in’ sessions planned for the end of the month and throughout September. They do not indicate, or even mention, a western relief road westwards from Ferrybridge.

Cllr Ian Bruce, who argued for the line of the road to be included in the local plan review, claimed that if it was missed out it would almost certainly never gain funding – although he was told that the Government’s current position was that it was still not convinced of the cost-benefits of the route.

Civic Society chair of environment and planning, Pru Bollam, says the community group have supported the road for more than a quarter of a century.

“In addition to our support of businesses on Portland we would stress the effects of traffic congestion and air pollution on residents and small businesses on the route through the town, Wyke Regis and the congestion of Portland Road.

“Removing the route from the Local Plan now would postpone all hope of funding for years into the future. We need the road more now than ever we did when the Local Plan was first written and we must be in a position to take any advantage of funding.”

She says that the Western Relief Road, planned 25 years ago, is the last section of the whole route from the Ridgeway to Portland, following the completion of the Weymouth Relief Road / Weymouth Way / Granby Way / Chickerell Link sections.

“It offers the only real possibility of relieving the notorious problems along the current routes through the town, which are totally inadequate for the heavy traffic that is forced to use them.”

The Society says in a document it published making the case for the road;” At present the potential for development of employment and other opportunities is at a serious disadvantage, with a risk of stagnation or even deterioration in this area if there is no prospect of alleviating the current situation.”

“The County Council designed the Western Relief Road in great detail in the early 1990s as a carefully planned project, which illustrated its feasibility with minimal effect on the SSSI and the World Heritage Site, both of which are confined almost entirely to the Fleet and its shoreline. Instead the road skirted the rear of the built-up area of Wyke and Chickerell, across fields used for horse grazing and other urban-fringe uses. “

But the Local Plan Inspector in 2015 decided there was ‘not …sufficient justification for safeguarding a route at present’, citing apparent County Council doubts over funding, but ‘A new route could be of considerable benefit to businesses and local residents’.

Said Mrs Bollam: “Since then traffic has increased intensively and will no doubt continue to do so.

“Weymouth Civic Society’ s support includes not only the businesses on Portland but also the well-being of all people living and working in the neighbourhood of the present overloaded traffic routes through the Town towards Portland. “