Highways England supports house building

Highways England is supporting the unlocking of much-needed homes through investment into traffic schemes designed to improve journeys.

Some £7M is to be invested from Highways England’s Growth and Housing Fund budget in schemes located in Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and Exeter, improving journeys, as well as generating jobs and helping unlock plans to build homes.

Northamptonshire will benefit from a Highways England contribution of around £4M to deliver a comprehensive package of junction improvements at Queen Eleanor, Brackmills and Great Billing junctions along the A45.

This funding is aimed at helping local communities unlock plans for future housing, including a Homes England site at Hardingstone and to create better journey times and generate jobs. Once delivered, the improvements will support a further 14,500 homes in the wider area and create some 3,000 jobs. The Northamptonshire improvements scheme is expected to start on site in June 2019 and be completed and open to traffic by March 2021.

Worcestershire will benefit from a Highways England contribution of £2.68M to support two schemes to improve journeys around junction 4 of the M5 and junction 1 of the M42 near Bromsgrove.

The improvements, which include widening the A38 at junction 1 of the M42 and at M5 junction 4 to Lydiate Ash Road, are expected to significantly reduce queuing at peak times in the area and improve journey times. They are part of the wider A38 Bromsgrove Corridor scheme which, when complete, is expected to unlock a total of 1,946 homes and allow new offices and warehouse space to be built, creating employment opportunities in the local area.

Exeter and the surrounding area will benefit from a £619,000 Highways England contribution to the scheme which will deliver extra lanes on the southern approach to Moor Lane Roundabout and improve local road access from the A30.

The improvements will reduce queuing at peak times in the area, especially on the M5 junction 29 exit slip roads, and improve journey times.

Work is expected to start the Autumn of 2019 and continue until the following Spring. Highways England’s contribution will enable the building of 370 of the planned 1,870 homes at Cranbrook in east Devon and Hill Barton in Exeter to be brought forward.

All the schemes are receiving support from the fund that has already provided over £77M to communities across the country, improving junctions and creating access to commercial land and new homes.

Ian Parsons, Highways England’s senior investment planning manager, said: “Our roads are vital for the country and its economic success; they connect businesses and communities and support employment and new homes. All of our improvements will ultimately ensure our roads continue to improve journeys and unlock the potential for new jobs and homes.”

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