Today was the planning hearing for the relief road in the Pavilion. I got there in the end to make my own representations. Predictably the opponents had gathered in force but it is always easier to gather protest than support, and the Ocean Room did not appear to be full. But it was encouraging that the main local organisations were there and speaking up for the road.

I made my speech and you can read it here:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today.

I am confident that this road scheme is vital for the future of Weymouth and Portland and on that basis enjoys overwhelming public support.

As you are discovering not everyone supports a new road. But our local businesses support the Relief Road. Every political party with elected representation in this area supports it. Every tier of local and regional government supports it. It enjoys provisional finance approval from central government. Weymouth & Portland’s excellent local newspaper, the Dorset Echo, supports the Relief Road.

But most important Weymouth & Portland’s silent majority - unsung heroes who work hard day-in and day-out to give their children the best start and to pay their mortgage or rent - are not silent on this issue. I have been knocking on doors as a politician in this constituency for over ten years now and am in no doubt that local people are desperate for this road.

Weymouth & Portland has spoken. In fact the town has been repeating the same message loud and clear for the last 20 years. Get this road built.

Now I now that is not a planning consideration but in making the arguments today I do so on behalf of many thousands of my constituents who have elected and re-elected me following campaigns that have focussed on my commitment to a relief road for Weymouth and Portland.

Do we need a relief road?

I suppose the starting point is whether we need a relief road at all.

We don’t need a bypass. Bypass Weymouth and you are in the sea! But we do need relief from congestion on the Dorchester Road.

The Dorchester Road is an ancient route. It is the only north-south route capable of taking any volume of traffic, any road freight, any bus routes.

We are dependent on it and because it is an old road it also sits on top of all the public utilities for the area. So every time something goes wrong with the water, the gas, the electricity and so on then there are massive delays on the route. And because it is the only route to Dorchester the heavy volume of traffic wears out the road regularly and puts huge pressure on the infrastructure carrying those utilities.

The road also passes over the railway line I came into Weymouth on from London today. When the road caused a landslip at the ridgeway in 1997 we were cut off as a community as both road and rail needed work. It is only a matter of time before that happens again given the volume of traffic relying on this route.

There can be no doubt that we need an alternative north south route.

The Road is vital to our future prosperity.

I am ambitious for our town and for the wider region. But despite business growth and high employment our economy remains fragile. High house prices are not matched by high wages.

Of course any attempt to analyse or explain this must take into account a variety of complex and interrelated factors: our skills base; prospects for tourism and agriculture; the economic impact of an ageing population; public and private sector productivity; and levels of enterprise.

But the area’s weak transport links and remoteness from key economic centres would, by most accounts, be a key contributory factor. We are further away from the main regional routes than any other similar sized town in the South West. There is only one strategic route in and out - the A354. Our rail network is very limited and can’t handle freight.

The result - congestion. Congestion places severe constraints on our economic potential and in turn leads to social deprivation. Companies unable to attract investment and distribute goods. Employees unable to commute to the right jobs. Bus services held up by traffic. Tourists queueing for ever on the road to get into Weymouth before paying heavily for parking wondering if it wasn’t easier to fly to the Spanish coast.

And in the final instance we end up with families struggling to get by on low wages and a local economy characterised by unfulfilled potential.

If Weymouth & Portland is to thrive economically and socially the current position is not sustainable. The solution is not road building for its own sake but an integrated transport strategy with the Relief Road as the centrepiece.

Now I have never dismissed off-hand the legitimate concerns of environmental campaigners. I have long been a champion of our wonderful landscape. It’s great to swap the hustle and bustle of Westminster for long walks along our stunning coastline. To take my dogs for a walk in the Lorton Valley. I love it here and I’m very proud to represent the most biodiverse and precious environment in the country.

So if the case of some relief of the congestion on the A354 is accepted, then an impact on our well protected environment is inevitable.

It is fair then to ask whether there is a solution that is public transport based, without a road.

I don’t believe so. The local bus operators are some of the most passionate campaigners for this road. They can not operate a reliable service as things stand. And the public will only switch to public transport if it is reliable.

Some have argued for a train service. Given that there has been congestion on this route for decades it is fair to say there is no evidence that train operators see any potential for operating a viable service that will attract commuters in sufficient numbers.

We do need a better park and ride service to reduce congestion going in to Weymouth town centre, and this scheme is the only way I can see to achieve that and add greatly to the public transport offer in the area.

So we need a road for both the private car and public transport user. But it must be carefully designed to minimise the adverse impacts on the environment.

The new stretch of road has to pass through the AONB because the AONB surrounds the town. But the removal of the existing road will open up a large area of the Ridgeway with better walking and cycling access.

The effect on Bincombe Valley will be kept to a minimum.

Impact on the SSSI cannot be avoided but it can be minimised and at least partly compensated for by safeguarding the future of the Lorton Valley area. This route runs along an existing transport corridor and thus minimises the impact and avoids opening up new areas for development.

Clearly some of my constituents living adjacent to the route will be affected but I am satisfied with the mitigation measures in the scheme.

The proposed road is the most sensitive design that is possible and the thousands who live around the Dorchester Road are looking forward to cleaner air as the pollution from congestion is dispersed when this road is built.

So, in conclusion.

This planning application is an essential part of a wider package giving Weymouth the improved access it desperately needs. It minimises the adverse impacts on the environment with major mitigation and compensation measures that will benefit everyone.

We all know politics can be frustrating. Your really big ideas and hopes, perhaps in the worst cases your idealism, can be gradually worn down by endless process and obstacles. Columnists and thinkers create castles in the sky whilst politicians plough clause-by-clause through legislation, trying to balance concessions with initial goals.

But on this issue we now have an opportunity to stop talking and start taking action. The public, our electors have almost given up that this will ever happen. They think the idealists will win. But you have the opportunity to restore their faith.

The arguments are compelling. The timing - with the 2012 Olympics just round the corner - is perfect. We can’t miss this chance.

Please approve this application and let us get on with a better more sustainable future.