Link delay 'not council's fault' (From Penarth Times)

Link delay 'not council's fault'

THE VALE of Glamorgan Council has hit back at claims it is the cause of the Headland Link delay.

Responding to accusations that the local authority is jeopardising the multi-million pound project, its leader, Cllr Jeffrey James, has declared that the Vale is ready and able to deliver.

He insists inadequate and unrealistic Welsh Assembly Government funding is at the root of the delay.

The Vale council has been allocated £7.5m for the scheme, compared to a consultant estimate of £13.5m based on a detailed design.

Cllr James told Penarth's MP Alun Michael and AM Lorraine Barrett: "I am convinced had the council been given proper funding for the project, we would now be on site.

"No-one can build a structure like this in such a tidal environment for £7.5m and, despite discussing this key funding issue with the Assembly since 2002, the council has only been able to obtain a commitment from Cardiff Harbour Authority to contribute an additional £1m towards the project.

"Since 2002, the council has waited substantial periods for responses from the Assembly, which have contributed significantly to the delay in this project." Cllr James says the council has made "significant progress" on the scheme and in addition to developing a detailed design, has obtained planning consent, undertaken an environmental impact assessment and widespread public consultation, and carried out a detailed examination of additional funding sources.

In his letter, he adds: "I agree that the scheme is vital to the future regeneration of Penarth and, logically, completes the infrastructure work carried out in Cardiff Bay. It is, therefore, a great pity that this project was never carried out by Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, whose access to public capital funding was substantially greater than that of this council.

"The issue with this scheme is not capacity to deliver, but simply inadequate and unrealistic funding."

Cllr James said the ability of the council to project manage and deliver such schemes was recently noted in an Audit Commission in Wales report, and the authority has or is currently successfully delivering a range of major schemes.