A MAJOR road scheme should be delayed to help pay for Merseyside to get a tram network, it was proposed last night.

Liverpool Labour leader Joe Anderson said putting the Port of Liverpool access improvement scheme on the back-burner could pave the way for reviving the £400m Merseytram Line One from Liverpool to Kirkby.

The road, from Switch Island to the port, which could cost £200m, was sent back to the drawing board last year over environmental worries of building through the Rimrose Valley, a parkland in south Sefton.

Improving access to the port is currently a priority for the Regional Funding Allocation (RFA) for major transport schemes, but Cllr Anderson believes that, because there is no prospect of it happening soon, it should be delayed for Merseytram which is "ready to go".

Last night Cllr Tony Robertson, Liberal Democrat leader of Sefton Council, said it would be "madness" to delay improving the roads to the port.

He said just because the local authority had asked transport experts to look at other ways of alleviating congestion on Dunnings Bridge Road, did not mean the scheme should be dropped.

Cllr Anderson has written to Steve Broomhead, chief executive of North West Development Agency (NWDA), to request the change be made.

His letter states: "We have been considering the allocation for projects across Merseyside in conjunction with colleagues from Sefton, in particular, and in light of recent public debates about Merseytram.

"It appears that Sefton’s plan... is no longer a project that can be brought forward in the timescale required.

"On this basis, I would request that the next meeting of the NWDA’s Board consider reallocating the finance for this scheme to the Merseytram Line 1 (Merseytram) project.

"As you know, Merseytram offers a number of economic, social and environmental benefits to the whole of the city-region.

"Not only will it create jobs but it will also improve access to employment, training and skills opportunities for some of the most deprived communities in the city region.

"While we have achieved much over Merseyside in recent years, worklessness remains high, skills need to continue to improve and more inward investment is required.

"The environmental case for Merseytram is also clear – it would take over one million car journeys off the road helping us to deliver on C0² reductions.

"Given the position of Sefton, I believe that the North West’s RFA should be reviewed."