6. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Roads review

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:16 pm on 22 June 2021.

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Photo of Lee Waters Lee Waters Labour 5:16, 22 June 2021

Thank you. I think it's important we take a consistent approach. We're saying that all schemes that currently aren't under construction need to be within the scope of the review, because the review needs to make a set of judgments about when road schemes, are the right solution to problems in the future. I think it would look very odd if we'd left Llandeilo out of the whole-Wales review and I would have certainly raised some questions.

You mentioned the studies that we've gone through. The way that the WelTAG approach works is not to start the process with a road in mind; it's to start the process with a transport problem in mind and work through that transport problem. Too often, local authorities have gone through this process—I visited Pendoylan in the Vale of Glamorgan this morning; another case in point, a road that's no longer going ahead—where people start that process with a predetermined view, 'We want a road', without sincerely going through the process of how do we address the problems consistent with the future generations Act, consistent with our climate change emissions, to tackle the problem. Maybe the problem can be tackled in ways other than building a road.

What I've said in the case of Llandeilo is that the WelTAG stage 2 process is nearing completion. I'm not going to stop that process, even though the review is undergoing; I'm going to let it reach the next decision point, in which case we expect some short-term recommendations from WelTAG of improvements that can be made soon in Llandeilo to help alleviate the situation. I'm very familiar with it, and I have great sympathy with the people of the town. It's worth noting that there's not a unanimous view in the town about the desirability of a bypass, but there's certainly a unanimous view that there is a problem in the town, and I fully agree with that. So, I think we'll let WelTAG finish its process, we'll look at what it comes up with, and we will support and fund those. Then, as part of the broader review, one of the questions for the panel when there are cases like Llandeilo—and there are cases in my own constituency where there are demands for bypasses to tackle air quality; cases, I must say, that I have argued against on climate change grounds, and I think it's important to be consistent—is whether in cases of air quality a road is the right solution. That's something I expect the panel to take a view on in the case of Llandeilo.