With Askar Sheibani

CEO, Comtek Network Systems UK Ltd and chair DBF

Unlike England and many other advanced countries, Wales has a very poor transport infrastructure.

With the exception of South Wales, there are hardly any motorway networks constructed in Wales. The road and rail networks in North and Mid-Wales are old and underdeveloped. This is one of the major reasons for Wales' low productivity rate.

A Well-designed targeted high-quality rail and road network would boost economic activities, and encourage more investment in housing, increasing social mobility and easy access to employment centres.

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According to research carried out by the London School of Economics, one billion pounds spent on targeted road building will create 2,000 jobs.

I believe that Welsh Government's freeze on new road building is risky and potentially could damage Wales' economic development, especially in North Wales, where the opportunity for radical growth is strong.

The business community is going through major unprecedented challenges now. Inflation, a five-fold increase in energy cost, and high interest on their debt accumulated during the pandemic is destroying our small businesses.

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The UK and Welsh governments must use all their power to concentrate on stimulating economic activities by investing in transport infrastructure. I agree that rail and digital infrastructure is not devolved to Wales and is the responsibility of the UK government; however, the road transport network is a devolved matter.

Below is the statement announced by Ken Skates MS, then the Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, on September 26, 2017:

"I'm delighted to announce the red route as my preferred option to address the congestion problem in the Deeside Corridor, A55/A494/A548, area.

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"Having taken full account of the technical, social, economic and environmental aspects of the scheme and listened to the consultation responses, I'm confident that this significant investment will address the existing problems and complement improvements across the Deeside area. 

"The next steps will be to develop a preliminary design, which considers the environmental and engineering issues in more detail and looks to address some of the issues raised during the consultation. 

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"I'm hopeful that this can all be completed quickly, with businesses and commuters feeling the benefit of this project at the earliest opportunity, strengthening the social and economic links across North Wales, the Deeside Industrial Estate, Chester and beyond in the process."

This targeted road development announcement, after thorough due diligence and consultation with the local residents and business community, was exciting and welcome news.

Construction of this road would have had a great boost to tourism in North West Wales. It would have created a dynamic economic powerhouse in Flintshire.

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The red route would have drastically improved the access to Holyhead, our great port that supports North Wales' international trade. unfortunately, Welsh Government, by not going ahead with this well-publicised and promoted announcement, damaged the credibility of their future announcements.

Mr Skates is a highly popular, competent Member of the Senedd. He has a well-established track record and credibility in understanding the economy and its social impact. During the pandemic, his policies saved thousands of jobs and prevented a vast number of small businesses from collapsing.

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The business community fully supports the Welsh Government's commitment to Net Zero, biodiversity and the environment. However, there must be a common sense and balanced approach to developing a road transport policy.

A good well-researched policy can support economic growth whilst at the same time legally ring-fencing parts of Wales from unnecessary developments; hence protecting biodiversity. The emissions from cars will continue to reduce with the introduction of electric and hydrogen vehicles. The speed in the development of green energy will eventually lead to zero emissions from vehicles by 2050.

The Welsh government must keep its promise and implement all its past announcements without any delays. The UK government also must speed up its manifesto promise of delivering gigabit-speed broadband and more efficient rail networks.