Planning and funding

There two main actions that are needed by DCC in order to be able to start work on the Weymouth Relief road.

Planning consent must be obtained. To achieve this, the DCC Planning Committee must determine the issue at a planning meeting, which is at present planned for sometime in April 2007. However, if the Secretary of State (actually in practice the Planning section at Government Office South West in Bristol) decides that the issues are more than can be competently dealt with at local level, or that it would be impossible to assemble a Committee that had not already made up its mind, then a public Inquiry would be ordered. This is termed a 'call-in'.

The Inquiry would take place under the auspices of an Inspector who would be appointed by the Secretary of State (Mrs Kelly of DCLG) and who would hear evidence from promoter, supporters and objectors. The subsequent report to the Secretary of State is not binding on her but it would be most unusual if she were not to accede to its recommendations.

More information on Planning Inquiries is available at :

http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/pins/appeals/highways_transport/best_practice.htm

where much other useful information is available.

Funding

The funding must be in place. For this the DCC will have to submit a new Business case to the Department for Transport (DfT) and this must show the scheme is value for money and is affordable. The previous scheme was given provisional funding on the basis that costs would not increase and on the basis of a somewhat different scheme to the one now proposed. In fact estimated costs have increased substantially. The concept of value for money has also developed to include matters such as countryside value and climate change effects.

There is also the matter of Regional Funding Allocation. The Regional Assembly, together with the Regional Development Agency, has received approval from the Secretary of state for Transport for a spending allocation for 10 years to 2016. This allocation at present would exclude the scheme because there are higher priorities and also there are many doubts about the ability of the scheme to be delivered. If the Region does not alter its view on the priority of the scheme, then this would not help its funding case with the DfT.

There is a circular aspect in all this. If the scheme does not receive funding, there would be no point in DCC pursuing planning consent. Without planning consent, there is no possibility that the scheme would receive funding. The Objection of Natural England is of crucial importance in this scenario. It has maintained its Objection to this latest application and this will count heavily against both the funding case and the planning case.