A controversial project to build a bypass on the A27 in Arundel has been delayed.

The project which would have seen a new stretch of road cutting through the countryside had faced opposition from residents close to the preferred route of the bypass.

Alongside other projects such as HS2, the Arundel Bypass will now be pushed back until at least 2025.

In a ministerial statement, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the bypass faces a range of challenges including environmental considerations and ongoing scope and design changes to ensure stakeholders’ views are fully considered”.

He added that the deferral “will help ensure better planned and efficient schemes can be deployed more effectively”.

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The decision from the Department for Transport comes after the plan was already pushed back to summer 2024 due to an extended consultation process.

Andrew Jackson, National Highways project lead, previously said: “During this consultation we will be presenting our revised design and seeking your feedback on the changes put forward. Once we have given everyone a chance to comment on the new proposals, we plan to submit our DCO application in Spring 2023.”

The proposals to add a bypass to the A27 at Arundel were met with fierce resistance over fears of significant damage to nearby villages and countryside.