Shropshire Council

Outline business case (OBC)

In December 2017 Shropshire Council submitted a scheme outline business case (OBC) under the Department of Transport’s Large Local Majors funding programme. A summary of the OBC it set out below and the full submission can be viewed in the Shrewsbury NWRR OBC document and appendices A to R, available under the related documents section of this page.

Overview

The outline business case (OBC) for the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road (NWRR) followed published Department for Transport (DfT) guidance, including web-based transport analysis guidance (WebTAG) and supported a funding request to the DfT from Shropshire Council and the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). It explained why the scheme should receive support, and provided a clear audit trail for the purposes of public accountability. It also explained how and why Shropshire Council had decided to put the scheme forward in that form at that particular time. It showed that the proposals were based on a realistic analysis of the situation, a clear vision of how things should be in the future, a careful consideration of options, a robust appraisal of costs and benefits, and a clear plan for delivering the scheme.

The five cases

The OBC was made up of five separate cases, as prescribed in DfT guidance. These are:

  • The strategic case which shows that there was a robust ‘case for change’, closely aligned to wider strategic and public policy objectives
  • The economic case which shows that the scheme would provide high value for money, based on a formal appraisal undertaken in line with DfT guidance
  • The financial case which explains how much the scheme will cost and how it will be paid for, showing that it is affordable
  • The commercial case which shows that the scheme is commercially viable
  • The management case which shows that the scheme is achievable in practical terms, and explains how the project will be managed to ensure it achieves its objectives

A full business case will be considered by full council later this year (2024), then submitted to the DfT for approval.