BBC Democracy Live - M4 relief road: 'disappointing' response says chairman The Welsh government has given a "disappointing" response to concerns about the proposed M4 relief road, the chairman of an assembly committee said on 22 October 2014. Plaid Cymru AM Alun Ffred Jones said "there seems to be always a reason for not giving any details or indeed answering some basic questions about the process which led up to this decision." The assembly was debating a report by the cross-party environment committee, which Mr Jones chairs and which raised serious concerns about plans to build the M4 relief road around Newport. In July, Transport Minister Edwina Hart backed plans for a route of the new motorway, known as the black route, between junctions 23 and 29 of the M4. AMs heard concerns that the traffic projections underpinning the plan were outdated because of the likely effect of electrifying the railways and the proposed south Wales Metro project. In the Siambr, Tory AM Antoinette Sandbach told Mrs Hart: "I don't think you've been prepared to be transparent or open or scrutinised properly on the decision making that has taken place so far." Plaid Cymru's Llyr Gruffydd said that when the minister declined to give evidence to the assembly's environment committee "a very clear message came across that we were being prevented from scrutinising a scheme." Labour AM Julie Morgan said she understood that the minister's statutory role prevented her from giving evidence, but she found it "very annoying and frustrating that the CBI didn't come." The business group had "showed disrespect to the committee that was looking at this process in Wales." The black route proposed by the Welsh government had "disastrous environmental consequences," she said. Responding to the debate, Mrs Hart said the timing of the committee's inquiry meant she could not give evidence in person because of strict rules on major highways schemes. Mrs Hart said there would be a detailed environmental impact study before design work begins and that she anticipated that there would be a public inquiry "This will be considered very carefully before we decide how to proceed," she said. Friends of the Earth has lodged a request for a judicial review of her decision to opt for the black route proposal. Darllenwch hwn yn Gymraeg