A FOREST of Dean District councillor has written to ministers and Conservative party leadership candidates seeking their support for the much-needed Chepstow bypass.

Cllr Nick Evans (Con: Tidenham), has asked Welsh Minister Lee Waters MS to exempt the Chepstow bypass from his moratorium on road building in Wales in order to tackle poor air quality in the town and “unlock the economic potential” of South East Wales.

Conservative party leadership candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss also received letters as Cllr Evans sought to garner their support for the investment as both MPs form their plans to support the economy if they were to become the next Prime Minister.

It comes as the Forest Council has included the Beachley army camp as a potential site for hundreds of new houses.

Speaking about his campaign, Cllr Evans said: “I’ve always said that I will stand-up for my part of the Forest, and fight to make sure we have the infrastructure we need. The consultation on the district council’s plans to build at least 600 houses in my ward has brought the issue to the forefront of residents’ minds once again, and the response that I have heard to the proposals demonstrate there is still a strong desire to sort these problems out.

“With the leadership campaign underway, I did not want to miss the opportunity to take my campaign to the top, and try to put the issue on the radar of our next Prime Minister when they are seeking the support of party members like me.

“I also wanted to keep up the pressure on Lee Waters, the Welsh minister responsible for withdrawing support for the by-pass.

“He has previously used an exemption to his moratorium on road building to allow another road upgrade to progress, so I wanted to make a personal appeal for him to consider using that precedent to get the Chepstow by-pass back on track.”

The consultation on the Forest of Dean District Council’s Local Plan, second preferred option is open until Monday September 26.