Middlewich bypass in limbo amid funding approval delay
Cheshire East has warned the Middlewich bypass scheme is under threat unless it gets funding approval from the government 'over the coming days'.
The council had expected to hear from the Department of Transport in February that it would grant funding of £46.78 million towards the cost of the long-awaited scheme.
Preparation works for the road began more than two years ago.
Following Wednesday's (June 11th) government spending review, there was obvious frustration and concern among council bosses.
Cllr Mark Goldsmith (Ind), chair of the council's highways and transport committee, said: "We are pleased to see the government's spending review invest more in local transport infrastructure, but disappointed that there was no specific commitment to fund the Middlewich Eastern Bypass.
"We submitted the business case for this new road over nine months ago.
"Then in January, the council's highways and transport committee approved the work needed to allow construction to start this summer – but only if we received government approval in February.
"It's now June and this long delay is having real consequences.
"Construction cannot begin as planned and this adds extra cost to the project.
"However, the council remains committed to the delivery scheme, so we urge government to confirm its approval over the coming days.
"Any further delay will jeopardise the whole project and threaten the 1,950 new homes and up to 6,500 new jobs it will bring."
Cllr Goldsmith welcomed the £2.3 billion announced by the chancellor for local transport improvements, the extension of the bus fare cap and around £750 million per year to maintain and improve bus services, including the opportunity for franchising pilots in areas including Cheshire East.
"We are also awaiting the detail on Northern Powerhouse Rail and how it will impact the borough too.
"Particularly, on how it will improve the north-south capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line and the long-promised investment in Crewe station, which is desperately needed following the cancellation of HS2 north by the last government," he said.
"We are meeting with government officials over the coming days and weeks to get all this detail. We can then understand how much money will come into Cheshire East and what that will mean for our residents."
Would you like to know more about Sandbach?
Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Sandbach Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.
Please consider following Sandbach Nub News on Facebook or X (Twitter)
We also have a weekly newsletter with the TOP FIVE stories of the week - sign up here
Share:
