Mayor condemns “retrograde step” as government moves to cancel A47 dualling consent

Mayor condemns “retrograde step” as government moves to cancel A47 dualling consent

Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow has condemned government moves to revoke planning consent for dualling the A47 from Wansford to Sutton, calling it a retrograde and unnecessary step that undermines growth in the East of England. 

The Department for Transport has published a draft order to revoke the Development Consent Order granted in 2023 for scheme, which would have improved journeys and safety, reduced congestion, and supported economic growth. 

The proposed revocation follows Government’s decision to withdraw funding for the 1.6 mile, £100m scheme in the 2025 Spending Review. 

The Mayor said the decision to take away planning consent prevents dualling through alternative funding models which could be explored locally and sends the wrong message about investment in a region that wants economic growth.  

He is also chair of the A47 Alliance, which campaigns to dual the whole of the route between the A1 at Peterborough and Lowestoft in Suffolk.  

Paul Bristow said: “The government was badly wrong to withdraw funding from this scheme and this retrograde step goes further by preventing alternative ways to fund and deliver this vital infrastructure. 

“Our Local Growth Plan sets out an ambition to triple the size of our economy by 2050 – the kind of growth Government says it wants. The A47 Wansford to Sutton scheme would have supported this mission, while also cutting congestion. 

“We’ll be raising objections to this proposed revocation and calling on the government to think again. Over half of the A47 is still single carriageway and that’s not good enough. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and the whole East of England deserve better than cancelled infrastructure – it sends completely the wrong message.” 

Councillor Graham Plant, A47 Alliance Vice-Chair and Norfolk County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport, said: “This is a highly disappointing decision from government. Delivery of Wansford to Sutton dualling is vital for people and businesses across the whole A47 route, as well as the regional and national economy. It is a gateway to the A1, connecting the East to the Midlands and the rest of the country. 

“This dualling scheme is key to achieving the A47 Alliance’s ambition of a fully dualled A47 from Peterborough to Lowestoft which will help unlock huge benefits across the region by improving safety, journey times and reliability, and enabling growth.  

“An enormous amount of work has been completed to get the Wansford to Sutton dualling project to a point where it is shovel ready, and its cancellation and revocation of the Development Consent Order will see this work largely wasted and the problems on the road remaining.  

“The A47 Alliance will continue to lobby government for investment in this vital east-west strategic road and has, and will continue to, challenge government on the decisions to cancel previously funded A47 projects, including Vauxhall Roundabout improvements.”  

The A47 connects businesses in advanced manufacturing and engineering, agri-tech and agri-food right along the corridor. Single carriageway sections of the A47 have a particularly poor safety record.  

The A47 Alliance wrote to the Chancellor in February calling for investment in A47 dualling to support the government’s growth mission.