MORE than £80 million of Welsh taxpayer's money was spent on drawing up proposals for the scrapped M4 relief road, while £10.72 million was used to buy land where the road would have been built.
When first minister Mark Drakeford scrapped the relief road earlier this month - despite a public inquiry recommending it should be given the go-ahead - it was revealed £114.1 million had already been spent on the scheme.
Now a full breakdown of the costs between 2013 until the scheme was ditched has been revealed, showing £36.15 million, including VAT, was spent between 2013 and March 2016, and £77.96 million during the following three years.
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Of this:
- £80.01 million was spent on a joint scheme run by construction firms Costain and Vinci developing the proposals for the so-called black route. Of this, £26.42 million was spent between 2013 and March 2016, and £53.59 million between April 2016 and March this year.
- £15.03 million went towards the public inquiry, legal costs and engagement with stakeholders. The vast majority of this - £13.15 million - was spent between April 2016 and March 2019. The remaining £1.88 million cost was incurred between 2013 and March 2016.
- £10.72 million was spent on buying up land around the area where the road would have been built. Of this, £4.11 million was spent between 2013 and March 2016, and £6.61 million in the following three years.
- £5.44 million was spent on technical, commercial and contractual advice to the Welsh Government. Of this, £2.03 million was spent between 2013 and March 2016, and £3.41 million in the following three years.
- £1.7 million was spent on development costs early in the project's life in 2013.
- £1.2 million was spent on designing and preparing the necessary utilities for the scheme between April 2016 and March 2019.
The figures were revealed in an answer to written question to the Welsh Government's economy and transport minister Ken Skates from former leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies, who had long campaigned for the road to be given the go-ahead.
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“It is frankly shambolic for the Welsh Government to spend £114 million on an inquiry, only to then ignore that inquiry when it comes out with a clear recommendation," said Mr Davies.
“While governments of all colours do change their minds from time to time, it is unheard of for it to happen in circumstances like this.
“People across south Wales have effectively been told to just grin and bear it, when they have rightly been demanding a solution to the gridlock that exists around Newport.”
When he announced the so-called black route - which would have involved an entirely new stretch of motorway running south of Newport, bypassing the often-congested Brynglas Tunnels - was being scrapped, Mr Drakeford said the ever-increasing pricetag of the project and the environmental damage it would cause to the protected Gwent Levels, meant there was not “a compelling case in the public interest” to give it the green light.
This was despite the report of the public inquiry into the scheme saying it was “in the public interest” and "would not have any disproportionate adverse impacts”.
But Mr Drakeford also set up a new expert commission which will look at new ways to relieve congestion on the M4 - which will report back within six months.
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