THE shock announcement by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling abandoning the A27 upgrade at Chichester shows it isn’t nationally important. If it was, the Government would have gone ahead regardless of local opinion.

But in a sense we know that. Improvements mooted at Worthing will ease congestion in the short term but fall far short of what many have been calling for. That’s because a bypass through or under the South Downs National Park would be too expensive and the benefits few. So where does that leave Arundel? In between Chichester and Worthing, it nestles on the banks of the River Arun at the foot of the South Downs. Hardly anyone disagrees that some form of road improvement is required here, but at what cost?

Highways England’s favoured solution of a dual carriageway bypass would rip up ancient woodland on Tortington Common and scar the national park. It would increase noise pollution and sever Arundel from Binsted Woods. The tranquillity of the Arun Valley would be lost forever. If Highways England pursues this option there will be a lot of opposition. Instead it needs to work with local people who want to improve the A27, but not at the expense of destroying what they value most about the area.

Locals have identified a wide single carriageway solution that bypasses the station and the other bottlenecks.

It doesn’t cause the severance or damage that a high speed dual carriageway would and is receiving widespread backing.

Highways England needs to seriously consider this option or it could find itself with another revolt at Arundel, as it did at Chichester.

Chris Todd is from Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth