To seek approval from Cabinet on the set of criteria from the Phase One Full Business Case which will be used to assist Cabinet in its assessment of the scheme; and to set out the scheme requirements which need to be in place before the start of construction.

Councillor Price, cabinet member for transport and infrastructure introduced the report.

It was noted that road infrastructure is essential to supporting Herefordshire’s economic progress. The development of the Hereford Western Bypass is critical to this and enables the council to move forward from design into delivery. Phase 1 will link the A49 in the south of Hereford city to the A465 at Belmont.

The focus of this Cabinet decision is agreeing the assessment criteria that will feed into the Full Business Case, which is due by June. This will then enable Cabinet to make a decision in July on whether to progress the project later in the year. The assessment criteria have recently been debated at scrutiny and through political group consultation, with recommendations considered and incorporated into the amended report now before Cabinet.

Cabinet is being asked to adopt the recommended assessment criteria to evaluate the Phase 1 scheme and to accept that specified pre-construction requirements must be met before construction can begin.

Comments from cabinet members:

Cllr Stoddart, cabinet member, finance and corporate services welcomed the report.  It was noted that the recommendations and feedback gathered through the scrutiny and PGC process had influenced the updated report.

Group Leaders were invited to offer their views:

The Group Leader for Independents for Herefordshire outlined the views of their group and argued that:

Appendix A (of the report) remains fundamentally unclear because it mixes up two different questions: whether the scheme can proceed (i.e. is it deliverable?) and, whether it should proceed (i.e. is it justified?). Items such as planning status, land assembly, statutory approvals, procurement compliance, programme/contracts and the risk register —are important but they are “gateway” requirements that indicate buildability.  They are not a true assessment criteria that test whether the scheme should progress.

It was argued that the framework’s evidence was not sufficiently clear.  Safety outcomes, freight impacts, growth scenarios and resilience should be presented numerically and quantified wherever possible, so councillors have hard evidence when being asked to support a major project. The current value-for-money threshold was suggested as being too weak, noting it does not demonstrate a robust margin of benefit against costs, risks and harms.

It was acknowledged the appendix has improved compared with earlier drafts—particularly by adding more detail on journey times, safety, carbon, social value and growth scenarios.  However, the framework still does not clearly separate pre-construction gateway conditions, the assessment criteria, and the decision thresholds Cabinet should require before approving the scheme.The Independents for Herefordshire wish to see strengthened, clearer and a transparent framework that distinguishes between “ready to build” and/or “worth building.”

The Green Group Leader outlined the views of their group and argued that:

Cabinet continues to conflate the Southern Link Road, Phase 1 of the bypass, with the full Western Bypass ambition. The Southern Link Road was dropped because there was no full business case, insufficient evidence to justify public spend and no demonstrable congestion benefit. Scrutiny and political group consultation have improved the assessment criteria, with welcome closer alignment to the DfT five-case model.  However, despite the declared climate and nature emergency, the criteria currently underweights DfT Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) environmental appraisal. As a result, the new road strategy (March 2024) has progressed without a DfT-compliant options appraisal of environmental costs and benefits.

It was also noted that the Local Transport Plan and the Strategic Environmental Assessment for LTP5 do not set out baseline environmental conditions, including meaningful reference to the River Wye SAC and its declining condition.

It was argued that assessments linked to the 2016 planning consent are now out of date. Environmental conclusions should be reviewed and any updated studies provided as an addendum to the Environmental Statement for decision-makers to consider. Mitigation and monitoring should be updated and built into contracts (including an updated construction environmental management plan), and progress should not be at the expense of the natural environment, farmland and soils.

The Liberal Democrat Group outlined the views of their group and argued that:

The vast majority of Herefordshire residents want urgent action to tackle congestion and feel patronised by politicians who dismiss the scheme as damaging or unwarranted. The council, in cancelling the scheme under the previous administration, has already cost tens of millions.  Costs have risen further than were previously expected due to inflationary pressures resulting directly as a result of delaying this scheme.

Planned housing growth (around 27,000 homes) will be unmanageable without major infrastructure improvements.  Any further delay in this project will fuel public anger and will continue to push people away from Herefordshire due to the severe and worsening traffic congestion.  We need to stop debating and simply “get on with it.”

In response to the comments made, the:

Cabinet Member, Transport and Infrastructure noted the council is being asked to meet many different requirements and cannot satisfy everyone.  The report includes all necessary environmental matters and the full business case will properly address the environmental questions raised by this important decision. It was acknowledged that the position is different to that in 2016 and as a result planning consent and updated processes will be followed. All future Cabinet decisions will be based on up-to-date and the most robust environmental evidence available.

The Leader of the Council concluded the discussions. Councillor Price proposed the recommendations, with Cllr Durkin seconding.  The Leader directed that the decision to be put before Cabinet is:

That:

a)    Cabinet adopts the recommended assessment criteria from the Full Business Case that will be used to help evaluate the Phase One scheme; and

b)    Cabinet accepts the pre-construction requirements that are to be met.

The recommendations were unanimously approved.

It was confirmed the next meeting of cabinet was 21 May 2026 at 2:30pm.