WALES First Minister Mark Drakeford has come out against the decision to build a relief road for the M4.

The £1.4bn proposal, which sought to reduce congestion along the M4 around Newport, has been shelved with Mr Drakeford citing excessive costs, in addition to the environmental impact.

And with the decision to scrap the plans - which have already cost the Welsh Government £44m - questions have arisen over what the decision may mean for possible transport improvements in Monmouthshire.

Alternative proposals to the relief road include the building of numerous small roads, bolstering the rail and public transport infrastructure, reducing the number of junctions around the Brynglas Tunnels or staggering public sector work times.

The county is already set to benefit from the separate Metro project, designed to link surrounding towns and cities to Cardiff city centre.

However it has been unclear how Monmouth fits in to these plans, after the town was dropped from the plan in subsequent versions.

Following yesterday’s decision Mr Drakeford announced a new transport commission to look at alternative solutions to the problems faced on the M4 in Newport.

In a Welsh Assembly plenary following the decision Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay asked the Welsh Government to go ahead with other infrastructure projects such as the proposed Chepstow bypass which also aims to relieve congestion.

“Clearly many commuters will be disappointed that there is still no “light at the end of the tunnel” when it comes to delivering a solution to traffic congestion on the M4 around Newport,” he said.

“The Welsh Government now need to come forward with alternative proposals to its preferred black route as quickly as possible, whether that be an alternative route or improvements to the existing road as well as enhanced public transport and Metro links.

“In the meantime, now that this £1.4 billion scheme has been scrapped, I’m calling for available funding to be earmarked for other transport priorities in Monmouthshire, including the much-needed bypass for Chepstow.”

The decision has come under fire from multiple sides as the 2016 Labour Party manifesto for the Welsh Assembly elections pledged to go ahead with the project, along with improvements to other trunk roads across Wales.

The leader of the Labour group in the County Council Dimitri Batrouni said: “We need both a massive investment in public transport and a relief road. These issues are very important for Monmouthshire, which is often forgotten in this debate.

“The public transport in both the south and north of the county is not adequate. I only welcome the First Minister’s announcement as long as Monmouthshire receives some money for its public transport infrastructure.”

Monmouth MP David Davies remarked on the decision saying the decision would be “bad for business, bad for local construction jobs, bad for commuters.”

Gwent Wildlife Trust have welcomed the news with the trust’s chief executive Ian Rappel saying: “We are delighted for both people and wildlife that the UK’s most ecologically damaging motorway scheme has been scrapped for good and we congratulate the First Minister on his decision and recognition of the vital wildlife haven that is the Gwent Levels.

“At a time when international studies have revealed that the world is on the brink of the sixth mass extinction - where 40 per cent of our insects are declining and after a Climate Emergency was recently declared in Wales – Welsh Government should be congratulated for the bold decisions they are making for the future health of people and wildlife.

“Everybody involved in environmental protection in Wales expressed their opposition to the M4 motorway. We are delighted the Welsh Government and Mr Drakeford have recognised that a new motorway would have been totally ecologically, socially and economically unsustainable for the people and wildlife of Wales.

“It’s been a long and hard-fought battle but together we have shown that people can make a difference if you stand together, speak out and fight for what is right for the future of people, wildlife and our planet.”