LOCAL councillor Nick Evans has written to the Tory leadership candidates and ministers to ask for their backing for the “much-needed” Chepstow bypass.

Cllr Evans, who represents Tidenham on Forest of Dean District Council, is campaigning to secure support and investment for the project amid plans to build 600 new homes at Beachley by 2041.

The Tory councillor has asked Welsh Minister Lee Waters MS to exempt the Chepstow bypass from his moratorium on road building in Wales in order to tackle poor air quality in the town and “unlock the economic potential” of South East Wales. 

He has also written to leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to garner their support for investment.

Speaking about his campaign, Cllr Evans said: “I’ve always said that I will stand-up for my part of the Forest, and fight to make sure we have the infrastructure we need. The consultation on the District Council’s plans to build at least 600 houses in my ward has brought the issue to the forefront of resident’s minds once again, and the response that I have heard to the proposals demonstrate there is still a strong desire to sort these problems out. 

“With the leadership campaign underway, I did not want to miss the opportunity to take my campaign to the top, and try to put the issue on the radar of our next Prime Minister when they are seeking the support of party members like me.  

“I also wanted to keep up the pressure on Lee Waters, the Welsh minister responsible for withdrawing support for the by-pass.

“He has previously used an exemption to his moratorium on road building to allow another road upgrade to progress, so I wanted to make a personal appeal for him to consider using that precedent to get the Chepstow by-pass back on track.”