Calls for Welsh Government to reconsider A483 improvements to help ease traffic in Wrexham

The leader of Wrexham Council has hit out at a Welsh Government decision to pull major improvements to the A483 as plans for large scale housing developments start to receive approval.

It comes after planning committee members were told earlier this month that “some congestion is somewhat inevitable within a city.”

The comment was made during a debate on plans to build over 450 new homes on land known locally as ‘Circus Field‘ near the B&Q Roundabout.

Throughout the meeting several councillors raised concern about the impact the scale of the development would have on local infrastructure – particularly the road network.

However David Fitzsimon, Wrexham Council’s chief planning officer, told the committee that from a highway capacity point of view, technical experts had found the impact to be “within acceptable parameters.”

Mr Fitzsimon went onto say: “We’re not saying and our highway colleagues are not saying that there won’t be an impact. What we’re saying is that the impact is within acceptable parameters and I think that’s really important. ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌​‌‌‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌​​‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‌​​

“We live in a city – and you may not like what I’m about to say – but some congestion is somewhat inevitable within a city. ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌​‌‌‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌​​‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‌​​

“Congestion in itself whilst inconvenient in itself is not a highway safety matter. Some congestion is somewhat inevitable.”

The development – which was included in the recently approved Local Development Plan (LDP) – received the backing of a slim majority of councillors.

At a media brief earlier this week Wrexham.com asked the leader of Wrexham Council, councillor Mark Pritchard, whether he had lobbied the Welsh Government for road improvements now the LDP was in place.

We also asked Cllr Pritchard whether he agreed that being a city means there is now more congestion.

In February 2023 it was announced that the Welsh Government had pulled several road improvements across Wales following a major review.

This included proposed improvements on the A483 between junctions three to six.

The works had been on the cards for several years, delayed by the pandemic, with Ken Skates MS announcing back in 2018 funding for congestion improvements. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌

However going forward the Welsh Government said that the “focus should be on minimising carbon emissions, not increasing road capacity, not increasing emissions through higher vehicle speeds and not adversely affecting ecologically valuable sites.”‌

Cllr Pritchard said: “Wrexham has always had congestion and that’s why the Welsh Government at the time and the Trunk Road Agency supported investing £53 million to take away that congestion with regards to the A483.

“There was a package work to be done.

“A fortnight before they announced that the money was going to be withdrawn, we were meeting with the Trunk Road Agency and everything was fine and these improvements were going to be done.”

Referencing the comment about ‘some congestion being somewhat inevitable within a city’, Cllr Pritchard said: “I don’t agree with that statement.

“That’s an individual who is entitled to an opinion. In my eyes that opinion is wrong.

“There’s congestion in Wrexham and there was congestion in Wrexham a long time ago and that’s why the Welsh Government’s, the agencies and everybody supported investing £53 million pound which was pulled late‌ on.”

Cllr David Bithell, deputy leader of Wrexham Council added: “I know he Welsh Government recently have been in touch – we haven’t been engaged yet – but they do want to engage with the council on making an exemplar.

“When we had the initial discussion with Lee Waters (deputy minister for climate change) when he announced to myself and Cllr Pritchard in a private meeting that they were pulling back on the A443, he did give a commitment and it is in the regional transport plan to use that area as an exemplar site for homes.

“But the prominence was for more Active Travel and other mitigating measures rather than infrastructure improvements.

“Recently they have engaged with the council. But what that transpires into if I’m honest, I don’t know.

“We had years of negotiating on the A483 junction improvements and a public consultation exercise. So we’re looking at years before we see anything in my view.”