HARLOW: Town bypass "comes closer" - MP

1:36pm Tuesday 22nd July 2008

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A FUTURE Harlow bypass to reduce traffic congestion in the town has came closer to reality, according to MP Bill Rammell following talks that he has had with the Department for Transport.

Mr Rammell met Transport Minister Rosie Winterton when the inclusion of the Harlow bypass as part of the Regional Funding Allocation programme was discussed.

Mrs Winterton expects to announce a review of the current programme shortly, which would allow for the inclusion of new regional priorities.

In a letter to Mr Rammell following the meeting, Mrs Winterton said she “strongly urges the Harlow-Stansted Transportation Board to reach a satisfactory conclusion with their current study to enable the outcome to be considered for inclusion within this RFA review”.

She adds that she intends to visit Harlow to discuss in detail the need for the bypass and other transport improvements in the area.

A Harlow bypass – stretching from the M11, with potentially its own junction 7A, to the A414 – has been a key tenet in a strategy set out by Mr Rammell and the cross-party working group on growth to make maximum gain from the Government’s plans to build over 16,000 new homes in the Harlow area by 2021.

Mr Rammell said: “This is real progress. The task ahead of us now is for all Harlow agencies to lobby the Government to include the bypass as part of the new RFA process.

“I’ve always made clear that while I support growth in the Harlow area due to the area’s need for greater housing provision, we must have additional infrastructure support and I am lobbying strongly for this.

“Our roads in Harlow are congested enough and we need a bypass. I’m delighted the Minister has recognised our priority and I now look forward to leading the lobbying process and ensuring that the Government listens.”