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The Welsh Government has written off more than £5m on costs that went towards building new roads that will now never be built. In February, the Cardiff Bay administration made the decision to scrap some of Wales’ biggest road building schemes as part of its controversial roads review. The decision affected more than 50 road-building projects around Wales.

Now Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters said he has agreed to write off £5.7m in costs incurred by the Welsh Government in developing plans for the A55 third Menai Crossing, Flintshire corridor improvements, and A483 Wrexham Junction 3-6 before the decision was taken not to proceed with the road projects in their current form.

He said this write-off will be included in the Welsh Government accounts for 2022/23. He added: “The remaining costs will be reviewed periodically, as required by managing Welsh public money, to ensure they still represent future value.”

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For example, the North Wales Transport Commission is using some of this material and its value could therefore be realised through its use on a range of other potential infrastructure projects or programmes.

The decision to write off the money was announced in a transport update following the publication of the Welsh Government’s National Transport Delivery Plan and response to the roads review earlier this year.

Mr Waters said that the Welsh Government continues to work on options to progress the Llandeilo bypass scheme. He said: “We will continue to seek engagement with Carmarthenshire Council to agree the best mechanisms to deliver transport improvements on the A483 at Llandeilo. We are also exploring the diversion of heavy goods vehicles from Llandeilo and have asked Professor Andrew Potter to support us with this work.”

An independent report of the annual programmes of work, led by Matthew Lugg, was commissioned by Mr Waters to take an in-depth view of current statutory requirements and affordability of road maintenance and improvements.

Mr Waters said: “My officials have considered the recommendations of the Lugg report and how they can be applied to develop and implement a new approach to the operation, maintenance and improvement of the strategic road network based on robust asset management principles.

“This also takes account of the Welsh Government’s tests and conditions for road investment and the core principles of the Wales Transport Strategy through more sustainable maintenance and improvement programmes.

“The Welsh Government’s response to the recommendations will adopt the report’s recommendations including the development of the new prioritised approach to maintaining, renewing, and improving assets, the heart of which will be a programme of renewals to major assets which will be designed to address the significant backlog of essential maintenance required.”