Comment: The A27 is Holding Chichester Back

I am furious that even with the well documented issues surrounding the A27, the government has chosen to remove any major upgrades to the arterial road strangling Chichester, from their recently published Road Investment Strategy.

The plans to upgrade the A27 were shelved a decade ago, after a local consensus was not reached over potential bypass routes. Since my election, I have been campaigning for upgrade plans to be reinstated back into the delivery pipeline, after watching the situation worsen over years.

Far from providing a solution, the government have chosen to remove the A27 bypass proposals from ‘shelved’ to removed entirely.

They stated in their correspondence to me ‘We inherited from the previous Government a long and unaffordable list of schemes and have had to review the programme to determine which are still viable and which offer the best value for money for taxpayers’. They also said ‘While I appreciate that this may come as a disappointment to your constituents, they will feel the impact of the wider regional benefits from the investment in the South East.’

This decision has not been evidence based; recent data has laid bare the scale of the problem, with the A27 westbound between the B2144 and the A259 near Chichester being one of the most congested A roads in England.

Time and time again, residents and businesses across Chichester have told me the same thing: the A27 is holding our community back. A road that should be a vital artery for our region has instead become a daily source of frustration, with congestion choking growth, delaying journeys, and undermining quality of life.

Jess Brown-Fuller MP calls for an end to the congestion on the A27, which is holding Chichester back.

It is the reality facing commuters trying to get to work on time, parents navigating the school run, and local businesses struggling to operate efficiently. Journeys that should take minutes are constantly stretched far longer, with real consequences for productivity and our local economy.

This decision continues to leave Chichester in an unacceptable position. While investment is being directed elsewhere, our community is being asked to put up with worsening congestion and no clear plan for improvement.

I will be meeting with the Under Secretary for Local Transport to express my anger at this decision and again present the case for investment.  I will also continue to call for urgent, practical solutions to address congestion on the A27 with National Highways. This must include an infrastructure-first approach to development, which means putting all necessary infrastructure in place before any new homes are built in the area.

Our economy depends on reliable transport links, and our residents deserve to spend less time stuck in traffic and more time with their families. The A27 should be supporting our community, not holding it back.