WESTON’S MP John Penrose is celebrating the go ahead for the eagerly anticipated Banwell bypass, Mary Stoppard writes.
Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, has provided the much-needed additional funding.
Earlier in the year, as the cost of energy and building materials spiralled, projections forecast a huge budget deficit of £23.9m and the outlook for the project looked bleak.
First proposed in the 1920’s, John explained that with success so close, they were determined to fight on to make the Banwell bypass a reality.
Banwell wrote to the minister responsible for Housing and Communities Michael Gove, and working closely with the council, emphasised the local significance of the proposal and the importance of collaborating to secure the necessary funds.
He is delighted that the Government and Homes England now understand the benefit of the planned bypass and have agreed to work in partnership with the council to provide the essential funding* for this long-awaited solution to Banwell’s traffic conundrum.
You can read John’s discussion about the importance of collaboration to close the Banwell bypass funding gap in his recent Mercury Article:
Everyone is still backing the bypass, and no-one is flaking off. – John Penrose.
*The council have put forward £11.9 million, while Homes England have match funded with the £12 million required to make up the shortfall of £23.9 million.