Forest MP now open to examining proposals for Chepstow bypass
Forest of Dean MP Matt Bishop now says he will examine proposals around a Chepstow bypass – infrastructure he voted against supporting as a councillor two and a half years ago.
Motorists have been calling for improvements to solve the traffic bottleneck along the A48 into Wales for years.
A motion which called to support the creation of a new Forest Gateway Road at Chepstow was voted down in July 2023 by District Councillors.
Among those was Labour MP Matt Bishop who was then a Forest of Dean District Councillor.
However, the Forest of Dean MP, who hosted a public meeting on roads and transport in his constituency earlier this month, says he now would examine proposals around Chepstow.
Conservative Councillor Nick Evans, who represents the Tidenham ward and has been campaigning for a bypass for years, said he was glad the MP has “now seen the light”.
“I’m glad that our MP has got on board with the campaign to improve road infrastructure in the Forest, despite his earlier voting record as a councillor,” he said.
“Whenever our congestion and traffic problems are raised, there are many options put forward. The most progressed and realistically achievable way to do that is by supporting the building of the Forest Gateway Road at Chepstow.
“I was surprised and disappointed when in July 2023, as a Councillor Matt Bishop voted against my motion to support building this much needed infrastructure. It’s amazing how people’s positions shift when they have some skin in the game, but I’m glad he’s now seen the light.”
Mr Bishop said it was disappointing to see Cllr Evans focused on political point-scoring rather than an “honest” discussion on transport problems affecting residents across the whole Forest of Dean.
He said when he was a councillor and voted on the Chepstow bypass issue, serious and legitimate questions were raised about the motion Cllr Evans brought forward.
“At that point there were no firm funding commitments or clear assurances from Gloucestershire County Council, and councillors across the chamber agreed that more information was needed,” he said.
“For the remainder of my time as a councillor I am not aware of any further motions or detailed proposals from Cllr Evans which addressed those concerns.
“As a councillor, I voted against proposals that were unfunded, undeliverable and designed more for headlines than highways. That is not opposition to better roads; it is refusing to mislead residents with schemes that had no realistic route to being built.
“People in the Forest are tired of councillors recycling the same pet projects, blaming others when they fail, and pretending that simply shouting ‘bypass’ equals delivery. It doesn’t.”
Mr Bishop said his priority now is to have “sensible and responsible” conversations with residents, professionals, transport bodies, local authorities and relevant agencies to understand what may genuinely be possible — including examining proposals around Chepstow — while recognising that no single scheme fixes every issue across the district.
“Whether you live in one of our towns or any of our villages, people face daily pressures on our roads,” he said.
“My responsibility is to the entire constituency, and that means pursuing improvements that are realistic and deliverable — not just loudly demanded.”
He also said Cllr Evans’ comments are particularly rich given that the Forest of Dean was represented for years by a Conservative MP who went on to become Transport Secretary yet residents saw little in the way of the major strategic road investment in the area.
“Over that period the Conservatives were the dominant force on the Forest of Dean District Council and led Gloucestershire County Council for almost all of the time Mark Harper was MP. Despite that level of Conservative influence at district, county and national level, the Forest repeatedly missed out.
“Residents are right to ask why we kept being forgotten.”