A PETITION calling for the Welsh Government to scrap plans for a new expressway in Flintshire has been supported by nearly 1,500 people.

The planned route aims to ease congestion on the A494 and A55 in Flintshire, but would see it plough through ancient woodland and farmland between the Flintshire Bridge and a major new traffic interchange on the A55 at Northop,

The petition was be discussed by the Welsh Government's petition committee on Tuesday (June 25).

Explaining the reasons for the petition, local farmer and lead petitioner Robert Hodgkinson said: "We were deeply unhappy with the consultation, the outcome of which was used to justify the choice of the Red Route.

"The consultation was presented as a straight choice between the Red Route and the Blue route (the upgrading of Aston Hill), and ignored other less expensive yet viable options for dealing with the traffic problems here in north east Wales.

"We are also unhappy that the outcome of the consultation was biased by its focus on Deeside, despite the fact that the Red Route will seriously impact residents of Northop, Flint and Flint Mountain.

"Moreover, in presenting the estimated costs of the Red and Blue Routes, a number of costs were missed from the Red Route budget, such as the need to upgrade of the Flintshire Bridge, so it doesn't have to close every time it is windy. These additional costs will greatly increase the cost of the Red Route.

"The fact that the petition has received nearly 1,500 signatures shows that local residents share our concern. By petitioning the assembly we are hoping that the petitions committee will persuade the assembly to support our call for the decision to be reconsidered."

Mr Hodgkinson says the results of the consultation show the degree to which the responses were biased towards Deeside with 754 responses from Ewloe compared to only 152 from Northop, Flint and Flint Mountain.

According to the 2011 census there are 16,000 people resident in Flint, Northop and Flint Mountain.

The petition has also received strong support from environmentalists, such as TV presenter Iolo Williams, the North Wales Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust, who say the Red Route would do untold damage to very rear wet ancient woodland and any many important natural habitats.

Petition co-ordinator and climate scientist Professor Tom Rippeth has pointed to the recent declaration of a climate emergency by the Welsh Government and the resulting cancellation of the M4 relief road as a game changer.

He said: “Clearly the decision to choose the Red route took place before the Welsh Government were fully aware of the pending climate emergency.

"The First Minister's statement that he placed a 'greater weight than the inspector did to the adverse impacts that the project would have on the environment' in rejecting the M4 relief road shows a clear change in government policy away from building road in environmentally sensitive areas.

"As such his government’s support for the Red Route must also be cancelled.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We have taken full account of the technical, social, economic and environmental aspects of the Flintshire Corridor scheme and considered every consultation response very carefully. The ‘Red Route’ will reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, which will improve air quality for people living in the area. Crucially, it will also ensure we have a road network in the region that is fit for purpose and up to modern standards.

“Whilst the Red Option crosses the Lead Brook Valley and its Ancient Woodland, the crossing location has been selected at a point where the steep-sided valley can be spanned by a viaduct with minimum effect on the watercourse and vegetation. Mitigation would include substantial, targeted areas of new woodland planting to replace or improve screening in the long-term. Various types of structure will be considered to maintain continuity between the affected woodland and allow continued movement of wildlife beneath the road deck.

“The ‘Red Route’ is a huge development in North East Wales and will protect the regional economy. The next steps will be to appoint technical advisors and a contractor to develop a preliminary design, which considers the environmental and engineering issues in more detail.

“The economy of North East Wales is incredibly important to the welfare and wellbeing of residents, but is also vulnerable to UK and global competition. Scrapping this investment in North Wales would be a terrible set back for the region and its citizens.”