THE cost of a Rotherwas access road has doubled and without Government cash its future is in doubt.

The Hereford Times can confirm that more than £6 million is now needed to build the road - up from the original £3 million estimate passed by Government in 2000.

To Whitehall and Westminster the revised estimate effectively makes the road a new plan when it comes to meeting funding criteria.

And under these new criteria the plan is being re-considered, with an announcement due in about two weeks' time.

There is no guarantee that - in spite of the earlier approval - the plan will get a go-ahead.

Hereford MP Paul Keetch wants to know how Herefordshire Council has known of the road's new status - and what communication it had from the government saying so.

The council's four political group leaders were concerned enough about the road's future to meet in secret and send a 'show of unity' letter pressing its case to Mr Keetch last week.

Mr Keetch conveyed these concerns to Transport Minister Alistair Darling. His reply referred to 'all the relevant assessment criteria' being taken into account for a decision this month.

Mr Keetch believes he has been kept in the dark by the council over the road's rising cost.

"Many businesses are assuming the access road will go ahead. The council should have come clean earlier if there was any doubt."

Rotherwas access road was effectively approved as part of the council's Local Transport Plan government-approved in 2000. Its cost was estimated at £3 million.

Council Chief Executive Neil Pringle confirmed this has risen to more than £6 million.

That, said Mr Pringle, means the road can no longer be funded as part of a Local Transport Plan.

Instead, he said, the road is seen as a specific 'major scheme' in need of specific funding.

If government says no to such funding the council could - in theory - fund the access road out of the £10 million it can expect annually until 2006 under the provisions of the Local Transport Plan.

But that would mean putting almost every other transport project in the county - including road maintenance programmes - on hold, said Mr Pringle.

"With too many other priorities, we could not (do this)," he said.

Herefordshire Council planners approved the access road in February. The route would cut through 3.3 kilometres of open countryside between the A49 at Grafton and Rotherwas industrial estate.

Work on the road was expected to start in 2005 for an opening in 2007.