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A417 Traffic Improvement Scheme

My hon. Friend makes a really good point. I believe that he made it in our previous debate in 2006. This really important road improvement is needed for the growth and prosperity of not only our region, but of the adjoining regions. As he says, it is not as if we have a really good rail system. Given the size of Gloucester and Cheltenham, and their distance from London—less than 100 miles—we are talking about some of the worst rail transport in the country. This important piece of infrastructure needs to be completed. I have not been alone in my fight to get the necessary changes made; Gloucestershire county council has also been highly vocal on the matter. My hon. Friend will be aware that Peter Bungard, its chief executive, is sending an open letter to the Minister regarding this matter and the work done by the council as it has dragged on, and I hope the Minister will give that letter due attention. I am aware that a number of challenges are presented by this stretch of road. First, the A417 runs through the Cotswolds area of outstanding natural beauty, so any proposals need to be highly sensitive to mitigate the effects. I welcome the view of the Highways Agency in its excellent report that"““this constraint must be fully considered in any proposed scheme””." However, it must also be noted that the long tailbacks, to which my hon. Friend referred, do not contribute greatly to the beauty of the area. Secondly, the topography of the area is a challenge to road builders and makes the section at Nettleton Bottom and the Air Balloon so dangerous. Even with those considerations in mind, the Highways Agency has produced a preferred solution—still described as the brown route—that is almost identical in nature to the one it found in 2004. The cost, with inflation taken into account, is inevitably much the same. The Highways Agency states that the proposal is"““highly developed and has captured virtually all the available savings for a major improvement giving long term service, reliability and resilience.””" I hope that when those in the south-west region consider their road schemes, they will acknowledge the amount of work that has been done and the fact that the Highways Agency has examined the matter in huge depth, has taken into account all local alternatives and has still come back with its preferred brown route, which is identical to the one that it came up with in 2004. In the Adjournment debate of 2006, I commented that the Highways Agency was uncomfortable with the road remaining a single lane. In response, the then Minister of State, the hon. Member for South Thanet, stated in respect of the status quo:"““I have no hesitation in confirming that both it and the Government are uncomfortable.””" About the proposals that existed in 2004, he said:"““For the first time, importantly, the Highways Agency had a major scheme design, and the Countryside Agency, the Environment Agency, English Nature and English Heritage were all content to see it proceed to the next stage: entry into the targeted programme of improvements.""In my experience, it was probably the first time in national history that anyone had managed to get those four agencies to agree on such a sensitive matter””.—[Official Report, Westminster Hall, 11 October 2006; Vol. 450, c. 100-01WH.]" That is surely of great importance, given the environmental concerns that were posited beforehand. I shall conclude on the facts of the case for the Minister. The A417 has an accident rate 30 per cent. higher than the national level. It is bedevilled by congestion and traffic levels are growing. Support for the improvements is widespread across the county and in neighbouring regions. Failure to begin improvements has made the Government uncomfortable, as was said in the previous debate. Five key agencies—I have just listed them—support the scheme. The road is a vital economic gateway nationally, regionally and locally. The solution proposed this year in the comprehensive review is similar to the one proposed in 2004. To my mind that is a clear indication that the best solution is now on the table, as proposed by the Highways Agency. I would like to leave this debate having received an assurance from the Minister that essential improvements to the missing link will begin in earnest. Perhaps the Minister can confirm that due consideration will be given to making it a national priority. For even beginning work tomorrow will be too late, because the scheme will take many years to complete. If correct prioritisation had been given, we could be well on the way to a solution. Too many people have died or been seriously injured, and the economic fortunes of the nation and the Gloucestershire region are being restricted by that three and a half mile stretch of single road. I hope that the Minister will be able to give us some good news this evening.