SCRAPPING the tolls on the Severn bridges could result in a “surge” of people moving from Bristol to Newport, driving up house prices, one of the city’s two AMs has claimed.

 

Newport West’s Jayne Bryant was speaking in the Senedd last week during a debate on Theresa May’s announcement that a Conservative UK government would abolish tolls on the two bridges.

 

The Labour AM said, while she was wholeheartedly in favour of stopping the charges, calling them “a tax on Welsh businesses and commuters”, she was concerned it could also drive up house prices in the city.

 

“Newport is a fantastic place to live and visit,” she said. “It has lots of wonderful parks, green spaces, a range of historical sites, and it’s been boosted by the redevelopment of the city centre in Friars Walk.

 

“It has excellent transport links and a strong community spirit.

 

“The combination of cheaper house prices, the tolls being scrapped, and the attraction of Newport as a place to live, we could see a surge in people moving from Bristol to Newport.

 

“This will have a dramatic effect on local house prices.

 

“Indeed, there’s already evidence that parts of Monmouthshire in close proximity to the bridges have experienced a spike in prices.

 

“This, of course, is fantastic news for local homeowners, but we must be mindful and careful that local people, particularly young people, aren’t priced out of buying a house in the area they grew up in.”

 

She added scrapping the tolls would also increase traffic levels on the already-congested M4.

 

“A Welsh Government report found that if the tolls were scrapped, there would be an estimated 12 per cent increase, equivalent to about 11,000 vehicles a day, in traffic volumes,” she said.

 

“This impact would have a major effect on congestion in Newport, especially in the Brynglas Tunnels.

 

“Already an estimated 80,000 vehicles use the crossing every day, and any increase in this makes a solution to the congestion at the Brynglas Tunnels even more critical.”

 

Conservative Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay also spoke during the debate, calling Mrs May’s announcement “potentially a game-changer for the Welsh economy”.

 

“It’s also a very exciting prospect for my constituents in Monmouthshire, which has close cross-border links with the south west of England, and Bristol in particular, links that have been hampered, suppressed by the tolls for far too long,” he said.

 

And economy and infrastructure secretary Ken Skates said the Welsh Government is “absolutely determined to spread prosperity, growth and opportunity across Wales to generate prosperity for all”

 

“The tolls on the bridge are an unfair tax on our people and on our businesses,” he said.

 

“It’s a barrier to business activity across the bridge, hampering Welsh growth and acting as a deterrent to inward investment.

 

“In particular, the tolls adversely affect small businesses looking to operate in the south-west of England, as well as those engaged in the tourism, logistics and transport sectors, which rely heavily on Severn crossings links for their businesses.”

 

Labour in Wales has long called for the tolls to be abolished.