THE council has responded after “rumours” that delayed works on the A449 near Malvern could need government funding to be completed.
Concerns have been raised about the overrunning closure on the A449 near the British Camp car park after Worcestershire County Council was unable to confirm a reopening date earlier this month.
The road was initially closed on September 8, 2025 for repairs to a collapsed retaining wall and had been scheduled to reopen on April 24, 2026.
Is there a reopening date for the A449?
In April, the council announced that the closure would have to be extended for investigation work into a new landslip that had appeared.
Initially, traffic planning site One.Network had said that the closure would be lifted in the summer. Now, the site states that the road will not reopen until September 30, 2026.
Earlier this week, the map then shared a new opening date of January 4, 2027 but the Gazette understands that this was an error and the September date has been reinstated.
READ NEXT: Council still has no confirmed reopening date for A449
‘Apalling’
Giles Goodhew, landlord of The Wellington Inn on the A449, has hit out at the delays, alleging that trees were felled in the area, resulting in the landslip.
He said he had also heard rumours of more lengthy delays to the reopening and the council potentially needing help from central government to complete the works.
APPALLING: Giles Goodhew has hit out at the council as the A449 works continue to overrun (Image: Giles Goodhew)
“I think you have to look at incompetence of the council on several levels,” he said.
“It’s appalling that we are not getting any compensation for this. When it opens up, I have got to harvest back all of that customer base in Malvern Wells.
“You go to the Alps and they get on and fix it, and these are hills, not mountains. We’re not talking about any more complicated structures.”
READ NEXT: Staff hours cut at hotel amid seven-month A449 closure
Response from Worcestershire County Council
Worcestershire County Council has still not provided a confirmed reopening date.
It did not confirm or deny the claims made by Mr Goodhew, instead claiming that “the most up to date information” can be found on its website.
“We are aware that rumours will be prevalent around schemes, and this is why we are keeping all known information on the specifically created webpage so this is minimalised,” a Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said.
“The council’s own website provides the most up to date information on the A449 British Camp scheme.
“Work on the scheme is progressing, and as soon as further confirmed details, including timescales, are available, the website will be updated.”
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