MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, Tim Loughton, was delighted to hear finally the Secretary of State for Transport announce funding for the A27. After years of campaigning from both Tim and neighbouring MP, Sir Peter Bottomley, the Government announced £350m will be committed to transform the A27. This funding is part of a £15 billion Road Investment Strategy to increase the capacity and condition of roads across England.
A substantial chunk of the investment for the A27 will go to the Worthing/Sompting/Lancing stretch of the road with the option of a full dual carriageway. This part of the A27 has been in desperate need of a bypass for many years with countless campaigns unable to secure the necessary funding. The ‘missing link’ bypass at Arundel is also being completed so the whole of the A27 congestion problem through West Sussex is to be dealt with.
The announcement follows years of campaigning by local MPs Tim Loughton and Peter Bottomley working with Worthing and Adur councils, local businesses and the County Council’s latest A27 Action campaign. There will now be a lot of work to determine the exact detail of what needs to be done. However, the option of a full dual carriageway through Lancing to west Worthing is the favoured solution for some with further work at some of the most notorious junctions.
To take the local campaign forward, Tom Wye is leading a local campaign group. As a former respected mayor of Worthing Tom led the KWASH campaign which very successfully secured the future of local hospital services. In order to achieve cross party support for the next steps, the campaign group will be inviting all the other parties to join as well as local businesses who have played an important part so far.