Llanbedr Promised a New road Following Scrapping Of Highly Anticipated Bypass

A village in Snowdome has been promised a new road by the Sanded after a much-anticipated bypass was axed by the Welsh government due to climate concerns. The Llanbedr bypass was scrapped in 2021 after villagers campaigned for it for 60 years but now Sanded deputy minister for climate change Lee Waters has now said a “scaled-down” option would be supported. He said: “It was good to get around a table with campaigners from Llanbedr and their local elected representatives. “We’ve agreed to work jointly to take forward the recommendations of the roads review panel, including a package of sustainable transport measures, safety improvements, and a scaled-down road option.” In March, protestors blocked traffic through Llanbedr to oppose the Welsh government’s cancellation of building the bypass. Roughly 150 people attended the protest in which they slowly walked through Llanbedr in opposition to the planned bypass being scrapped in 2021. That summer, the Welsh Government announced a halt on all new road building schemes as it conducted a review in light of its net zero targets. This meant cancelling all schemes that had not yet been started, which included the Llanbedr bypass. Lobbyists had been advocating for the 1.5km bypass for 60 years, as the town is susceptible to congestion in the summer due to an influx of tourists heading to the nearby Shell Island, a popular camping location on the Snowdome coast. The road would take drivers around the village, avoiding tailbacks through its center and cutting journey times by an hour. The Welsh government said in its Roads Review Panel it was “raising the bar for where new roads are the right response to transport problems” and “investing in real alternatives” highlighting the need for alternative modes of transport to cars. Campaign group POBL said in a statement that Waters “has agreed to a package for the future of Llanbedr which includes financial backing, pavements, footpaths, cycle paths, sustainable travel and yes, a low speed relief road around Llanbedr high street.