It's been such a long time coming...

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The need for a junction to the M49 was eventually recognised, and the finance committed, by the Coalition Government. The respective Transport and Treasury Ministers, both came to visit the area (- both just happened to be Liberal Democrats), and committed to making it happen.

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Originally put forward by the Parish Council in 1990, when the M49 was being proposed to Parliament, that a junction was going to be needed as Severnside was planned to grow, local people saw it as a 'no-brainer'. But our pleas had been ignored, so it took until 2014 for our lobbying to have effect and for the decision to be taken. Then, by the end of 2019, the junction was built. . hooray.!

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There were repeated questions from the Parish Council about providing a link road, to which we were told it would be built by the developer. Yet having, personally, scrutinised the planning documents relating to the developments, there was no such requirement or commitment. Clearly the departments of the Council had not talked to each-other, and had failed to realise that the planning permission (granted in 1957 to ICI) was prior to any notion of motorways.

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The Local Highways Authority and the Local Planning Authority, both being South Gloucestershire Council, had done nothing about providing the link road, to get traffic on and off the junction, continuing to blame the developer(as a check of the Gazette archives will confirm), until, at last, it dawned on them that they had to do it.

So £40m for the junction, and a subsequent £7m to build the link road; by the Summer of 2025, we might be able to join the motorway here, though I am not holding my breath.

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There will be one great sigh of relief from the local villages, currently suffering the excess traffic 24-7. However, none of the residents of Severnside will be persuaded by the words of the MP of a neighbouring constituency(Opinion 23rd Nov) that he has had anything to do with making things happen. Local people are, perhaps, far more likely to reflect on who was in charge, at both central and local Government, during this mind-numbing delay, as only they can be responsible.

personal view of:-

Alderman Peter Tyzack

Severn Beach