Kesgrave councillor Debbie McCallum on Northern Bypass

Debbie McCallum, the Conservative county councillor for Kesgrave, has stressed that "we can't keep pitting communities against each other" in the hunt for a solution. 

Traffic chaos on the A12 and A14 since the start of the year has reignited calls for a Northern Bypass to the north of Ipswich. 

Alongside Ipswich, Kesgrave suffers from traffic issues when there is chaos on the A12 and A14 (Image: Google) While many, including Ipswich MP Jack Abbott, support the project, villagers in the north of Ipswich, who would be most affected by the building of a Northern Bypass, have remained firmly against it. 

Issues on the major roads outside of Ipswich tend to divert drivers through Suffolk's county town.

Mrs McCallum, who also runs the Bell pub in Kesgrave, said: "We need to a find a solution, but we need to find a solution that works for Ipswich, Kesgrave and Suffolk as a whole.

Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP Patrick Spencer and Suffolk county councillor Debbie McCallum (Image: Office of Patrick Spencer) "We can't fix the issue in the area, just to ask another area to cover the cost and whilst a northern route is an option, we can't keep pitting communities against each other.

"We should be working together with local councils and councillors to find a solution in the long term.

"When the [Orwell] bridge shuts, Bell Lane has a huge amount of pressure on it and that is without any HGVs driving down. 

The last time a Northern Bypass was considered it was scrapped due to a lack of political support (Image: Archant) "Then you have the main road, when heavy vehicles come down at night can actually shake my pub, which is listed and has suffered from damage in the past.

"Away from the Northern Bypass, we could move more freight on to trains, or look at widening the A14.

"We need to think of a solution sooner rather than later - a lot of the bigger solutions are great but will take years and years to come to fruition.

Closures of the Orwell Bridge can wreak havoc on the roads through Ipswich and Kesgrave (Image: Newsquest) "For Kesgrave, there is an issue, it does affect us and there is traffic that comes through here."

Whilst the issue is on the minds of the people of Kesgrave, Mrs McCallum has said that it isn't top of the list when campaigning and knocking on doors, with the priority for residents being potholes and the state of the roads. 

Last month, Mr Abbott wrote to the Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, asking him to lift the Northern Bypass out of the "political quagmire" and declare the project as nationally-important infrastructure. 

Traffic chaos on the A14 and A12 left Ipswich gridlocked (Image: A14 Traffic Cameras) But Patrick Spencer, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, whose constituency includes Kesgrave, has rejected these calls, saying previously: “When the issue of a Northern Bypass was last considered in 2019, it failed to progress as it simply wouldn’t attract the required funding needed to build it. 

"Having spoken again with the leader of Suffolk County Council, I understand that this remains the case."

Debbie McCallum, Suffolk county councillor for Kesgrave (Image: Archant)

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Kesgrave Town Council has said: "The town council does not wish to comment on unofficial talks of a Northern Bypass."

The most recent attempt at a Northern Bypass was abandoned in 2020 having lost political support.