Keir Starmer, the current leader of the Labour Party, has outlined a series of priorities to prepare his party for the upcoming general election. However, one notable absence from his agenda is the contentious Arundel bypass project. Despite increasing demands for action on this long-standing issue, Starmer’s decision to exclude it from his plans has sparked discussions and received criticism. This article will delve into the rationale behind this choice and evaluate its potential implications for both the Labour Party and the residents of Arundel.
The £320 million A27 bypass project has already faced delays under the new Conservative government, being shifted from the Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) period (April 2020 to March 2025) to the subsequent five-year plan. Nonetheless, Labour has committed to further postponing the project, deeming it unworthy of the allocated funds.
In Labour’s 2024 manifesto, on page 33, it is stated: “We can address an additional one million potholes across England each year of the next parliament by postponing the A27 bypass, which is deemed as poor value for money.”
The Linkconnex consortium comprising Bam Nuttall, Aecom, and Mace has been awaiting the commencement of this project since 2018. While alterations to national infrastructure plans may disappoint construction industry advocates who have been advocating for the depoliticization of infrastructure, Labour is at least offering a new 10-year infrastructure strategy.
This strategy will outline investment plans and provide private sector insight into the project pipeline. Additionally, it assures that apart from the Arundel bypass, other road and rail construction projects will not face delays: “Labour will establish a long-term strategy for transportation, ensuring efficient and timely delivery of transport infrastructure,” as stated in their manifesto.
A significant commitment is the establishment of a new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, which will amalgamate existing entities to determine strategic infrastructure priorities and supervise the planning, scope, and execution of projects.
It remains unclear which organizations will be integrated into this new authority, but potential candidates could include National Highways, Great British Railways, and the nuclear authorities. Whether NISTA will streamline existing bodies into one centralized bureaucracy or function as an additional governmental layer is unspecified in the manifesto.
The Labour manifesto also emphasizes the need to overhaul the planning regime to facilitate economic growth. It proposes revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, expedited project approvals, and streamlined processes to support development initiatives.
Highlighted points from the Labour manifesto, as identified by the National Federation of Builders, encompass various aspects such as reforming procurement guidelines to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises, establishing Great British Energy as a publicly owned renewable energy company, enhancing support for SMEs, and transforming education institutions into specialized Technical Excellence Colleges.
while Keir Starmer’s decision to exclude the Arundel bypass project from Labour’s priorities has stirred debate, the party’s proposed infrastructure strategy and commitments signal a potential shift in approach towards addressing national development needs.
