A NEW access on to the eastbound M50 to serve the Malvern area could be built if Worcestershire County Council is successful in a bid for funds.

The council has applied for £1.25m from the Government's Local Transport Plan to create a slip road from the A438 at Sledge Green, near Upton-upon-Severn, where westbound traffic would also be able to exit the motorway.

The aim is to provide an alternative route from the Malvern area over the River Severn when the bridge at Upton becomes impassable during floods.

However, county councillor Tom Wells fears the move could hit more expensive plans to raise the level of the A4104 in Upton.

Coun Wells, who only found out about the bid this week, although it was submitted in July, is also concerned about the lack of consultation.

"I'm very concerned to hear that no parish councils have been consulted, particularly when a number of them would be impacted by traffic flows to and from this new junction," he said.

Coun Wells is now demanding an open consultation with parish councils and a traffic impact analysis.

Jeff Romanis, Worcestershire County Council's head of highways, said that if funds were granted in December for the slip road, consultation would then be carried out.

He said: "A lot of these applications are aspirational and, frankly, if we consulted on everything it would raise expectations sky high.

"This proposal is much more affordable than raising all the roads in Upton, which would entail a lot of technical difficulties and could have a benefit everyday to some people."

Susan Satchell, vice-chairman of Castlemorton Parish Council, said that, considering the heavy amount of traffic already travelling from the Malvern area to Junction 2 of the M50 at Bromesberrow, a new junction would not have much impact.

"A new junction seems a bit pointless to me. Anybody can already get on to the M50 quite conveniently so it seems a bit superfluous.

"I would have thought consultation would have been a sensible first step to check the effect a junction might have on traffic flow because around here they really are all minor roads."

Upton councillor Mary Wilkinson said she was not against a new slip road on to the M50 but felt that creating a raised platform in Upton should take priority.

"It's sod's law that both these things have come up at once," she said.

"What the people of Upton and district want is to stop the A4104 flooding. It might take years but I think we will get it."

A delegation from town, district and county councils joined MP Sir Michael Spicer for a meeting with Transport Minister John Spellar about the proposed A4104 elevation on Tuesday.

Sir Michael Spicer is also supporting the bid for an M50 slip road.

See Upton News, page 4.