A27 Arundel bypass: County council submits preferred route

The submission was made to Highways England stating that the Magenta route was the council's preferred option.

Roger Elkins, cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: “Out of the six options presented by Highways England the Magenta route is our preferred option as it would reduce overall congestion, reduce rat-running through the South Downs National Park and along the coast, and substantially reduce the volume of traffic through Arundel.

"It would also provide benefits for the local and regional economy, which is a priority in our West Sussex Plan.

“However, we recognise that this alignment would have a negative impact on the communities of Tortington, Binsted and Walberton and on the environment in general.

"Therefore, our support for this option is contingent on Highways England bringing forward a detailed and high quality package of mitigation measures to reduce impacts on the environment and affected communities.”

Once all consultation responses have been analysed by Highways England, they are expected to announce a preferred route for the bypass in 2020.

Statutory consultation on the preferred route will then take place as part of their development consent order process, providing local residents and businesses with another opportunity to comment.