A27 Arundel Bypass Preferred Route Announcement

Overview

Public consultations that informed our preferred route

We consulted on options for a proposed A27 Arundel Bypass in 2017 and following initial consultation, Option 5AV3, was announced as our preferred route in May 2018.

In developing the design for that route, new information was identified which led us to take a fresh look at all options. We therefore decided to carry out a Further Consultation which took place from 30 August to 24 October 2019.

As a result of a rigorous selection process, we've reviewed and considered every response and comment you gave us and where appropriate, used this information to inform our initial proposals.

The preferred route: Grey (Option 5BV1)

Overall, the consultation demonstrated a high level of support for improving the A27 and we believe that the Grey route (Option 5BV1) presents the best opportunity to deliver the project objectives. More information about our preferred route for the A27 Arundel project can be found in our Preferred Route Announcement brochure.

Response to public consultation

More than 1,600 people attended our 2019 consultation exhibitions and we received 4,945 response forms as well as 113 other written responses. Two email campaigns that opposed the proposals were launched during the further consultation. One supported the ‘Arundel Alternative’ (a wide single carriageway proposal that was promoted locally) and prompted 575 emails. The other was led by the Woodland Trust and objected to all the proposed options due to their environmental impacts and it prompted 1,449 emails.

We held multiple events in local areas along the route during the consultation and engaged with key stakeholders, such as local authorities, parish councils, ward representatives, landowners, local residents and road users to seek their views.

Feedback we received from the Further Consultation

• Two-thirds (67%) of respondents supported the need to improve the A27 around Arundel but overall opinions on the best ways of delivering improvements were divided between different sections of the community
• Beige attracted the most support (27%) when respondents were asked which of the options they would prefer if they were all brought into an affordable range, followed by ‘Do nothing’ (25%) and Magenta (22%). The next most supported options were Cyan (12%), Grey (7%), Crimson (3%) and Amber (2%)3
• Further analysis of responses suggested the support for Beige or 'Do nothing' was at least partly influenced by underlying preferences for a wide single carriageway proposal, promoted locally as the ‘Arundel Alternative’. This proposal had been considered earlier in the process, but it had been discounted as it wouldn’t meet the scheme objectives
• Magenta appeared to be well supported by respondents from Arundel, and was the preferred option of both Arun District Council and West Sussex County Council
• Conversely, more than one-third (37%) of respondents selected Magenta as their least preferred option. Cyan, Beige and ‘Do nothing’, accounted for 15%, 12% and 11% of responses, respectively
• Statutory environmental bodies, including Natural England, the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission and Historic England had significant concerns regarding all options, but particularly the ‘offline’ options (Crimson, Magenta, Amber and Grey). The South Downs National Park Authority submitted a holding objection to all routes

Technical corrections during further public consultation

Following the close of the further consultation, we identified some issues with the way certain information had been presented and needed to be corrected. We wanted to bring this to the attention of those who had taken part in the Further Consultation. Therefore, we launched a further review period which took place between 3 February and 1 March 2020, to give people an opportunity to let us know if their views of the options had changed as a result of the corrected information. More information can be found on our Further Consultation Corrections page. 

Please refer to our Report on the Further Consultation for full details of the feedback we received. 

To learn more about our preferred route, please see the documents below. For more information on the development of the project and to subscribe to our web alerts, please visit: A27 Arundel Bypass Scheme Webpage. 

What happens next

Now we have announced our preferred route, we will carry out further surveys and investigations to help us design the project in more detail. These surveys and investigations will also be vital in providing information for our assessments which will underpin our future consultations and our subsequent Development Consent Order application (see below animation).

As part of this work, you may notice some activity in the area. We plan to consult on the design of the road and the junctions at a later date, giving you a further opportunity to share your views with us. In the meantime, we will continue to engage with our stakeholders and the local community to help us refine the design before inviting the public to submit further feedback. Throughout the process we will keep listening and talking to everyone with an interest in the project. There will also be regular updates and information on our project webpage: A27 Arundel Bypass Scheme Webpage.

Project timeline

Following on from our Preferred Route Announcement, we will now plan to carry out a preliminary design public consultation for you to express your views on the design of the project in advance of our application for a Development Consent Order to authorise construction of the project.

Application for a Development Consent Order

This project is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008. This means that we are required to make an application for a Development Consent Order to obtain permission to construct the project. The above timeline shows the different stages in this process. Following a further consultation on the design, we will prepare an application for a Development Consent Order that will include an Environmental Impact Assessment. The application will be made to the Planning Inspectorate, who will examine the application. Following the examination, the Examining Authority will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport, who will decide whether the project will go ahead.

Find out more about the Development Consent Order process on the Planning Inspectorate’s website at: http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk.

Contact us 

If you would like to discuss our preferred route please contact us using one of the following methods below:

Website: A27 Arundel Bypass Scheme Webpage

Email: A27ArundelBypass@highwaysengland.co.uk

Post: A27 Arundel Project Team, Bridge House, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4LZ

Phone: 0300 123 5000