Cabinet agrees £20m investment in relief road
Parking, roads and transport22 December 2021
West Northamptonshire Council's Cabinet has agreed to invest £20m to enable the construction of Northampton’s North-West Relief Road.
The funding will come from borrowing, after a bid to the Government's £4.8b Levelling Up Fund was unsuccessful.
The project will link the A428 Harlestone Road with the A5199 Welford Road to increase capacity and mitigate some impact of planned housing growth west and north of Northampton.
It also aims to ease congestion in the locality, and to discourage motorists from using some local residential roads as rat runs.
Phase one of the scheme is the section from the A428 to a roundabout near Grange Farm, just south of the railway line, and will be constructed by the developers of Dallington Grange. The first section of phase one has already been built as part of the Harlestone Gate development.
West Northamptonshire Council is responsible for building phase two – the section of road across the railway line connecting the developer's road to the A5199 Welford Road
Around £32.5m had previously been secured against the scheme’s £54.5m budget. The £20m investment, plus a £1.95m council contribution agreed by Cabinet in June, will cover the shortfall and allow the scheme to go ahead.
Design and build contractor Balfour Beatty has been appointed, with works expected to be completed by autumn 2023.
Cllr Phil Larratt, Portfolio Holder for Climate, Transport, Highways and Waste Services on West Northamptonshire Council, said: “This road is only a part of the infrastructure required to facilitate development to the north of Northampton, with the Northern Orbital Road, a priority of West Northamptonshire Council, being the most important. However, it is important we put the necessary infrastructure we can in place to support this growth.
"It was disappointing that our bid for funding was unsuccessful, as we felt we'd put together a very robust case. We do not take the decision to borrow this money lightly, but after thoroughly examining all of the options we feel this is the only way forward in order for the scheme to go ahead."