Challenge to Port of Liverpool road bypass given permission to proceed

01 Jan 2018

Planning and Environment

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council has been given permission to challenge Highways England’s controversial decision to adopt a new dual carriageway bypass through the Rimrose Valley as the preferred route for the A5036 Port of Liverpool Access Scheme.

The A5036 Port of Liverpool Access Scheme is a major new road scheme worth £250 million intended to improve access between the Port of Liverpool and the M57/M58 motorway.

While the need to improve access to the Port – one of the busiest in the UK – is widely accepted, the proposal for a new dual carriageway through the Rimrose Valley is highly controversial and would necessitate the loss of Green Belt land and give rise to significant environmental and ecological impacts.

Although Sefton MBC welcomes proposals for improved access to the Port, the Council has challenged the decision to select the Rimrose Valley option on the basis that there has been no, or no adequate consultation in respect of other possible options for the scheme, including a tunnel.

Permission was granted by Mr Justice Kerr who has designated the case as “significant”. The final hearing will take place in Manchester later in 2018.

Tom Cosgrove QC and Jack Parker are instructed by Sefton Metropolitan Council.