Suffolk county council back motion for Northern Bypass

A motion was brought forward by Labour councillors Sandy Martin and Rob Bridgeman saying that the long awaited road "should be built" at a full council meeting on Thursday, July 10.

An amendment was brought forward by councillors Chris Chambers and Paul West on behalf of Suffolk County Council, which expanded on the motion, which also backed a series of other traffic-calming measures.

These include upgrades to the Fiveways Interchange on the A11, the Copdock Interchange on the A14 and the A12 Major Road Network.

The motion was passed by a majority of 17 at the end of a long debate with 29 votes for, 12 against, and eight abstentions.

Work on the Orwell Bridge has led to chaos on the A14 and A12 in recent weeks, leading to calls for the Northern Bypass to be revived (Image: Lucy Taylor)

Former Ipswich MP Sandy Martin, who brought forward the original motion, spoke on the importance on adequately supplying Felixstowe with an effective transport route. 

He said: "We cannot afford for Ipswich to be brought to a complete standstill every time the bridge is closed, and we cannot allow for Felixstowe to lose out to its rival at London Gateway."

Today's vote is not an approval for the project, but an agreement to relook at the Northern Bypass project details and re-examine the work that had been completed in 2020.

Ipswich MP Jack Abbott has been a vocal supporter of a Northern Bypass (Image: Office of Jack Abbott) In all likelihood, no decision for or against the Northern Bypass will take place before a Norfolk and Suffolk mayor is elected next year.

In response to the news, Ipswich MP said: "It is welcome that people from across the political divide listened to those calls and demanded that the administration at Suffolk County Council wake up and finally take action."

Councillor Chris Chambers brought forward an amendment on behalf of Suffolk County Council, where he said: "We need a grown up conversation about transport in Ipswich".

Growing calls to revive the project, including letters to the Prime Minister, petitions and businesses across Ipswich led to the motion being brought before Suffolk County Council, which was abandoned the project five years due to "lack of political support".

The previous routes suggested for a Northern Bypass in 2020 (Image: Archant) Councillor Elaine Bryce, who represents villages in the north of Ipswich, said that she did not support either the original motion or the "well intentioned" amendment by the council.

The motion read: "Recognising the severe congestion caused by the current programme of partial closures of the Orwell Bridge, and the cost to the entire Suffolk economy, including the disruption to freight from Felixstowe, this County Council hereby commits to: Affirming its resolve that a Northern Bypass for Ipswich should be built, to relieve traffic congestion in North Ipswich and in the villages north of Ipswich, and to provide an alternative for the A14 when the Orwell Bridge is not fully operational."

There were other clauses that include examine the work that had previously been done on the project and to work with MPs Jack Abbott, Jenny Riddell-Carpenter and Patrick Spencer, to provide a united case to the Department for Transport and to seek clarification over housing and Ely/Haughley.