Bam Nuttall wins contract for Northern Approach Road

Essex County Council has awarded the contract for the Colchester Northern Approach Road phase 3 (NAR3) to Bam Nuttall.

The NAR3 will run through the former Severalls Hospital site, owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (NEPFT), and will enable the release of the development site, allocated within the Colchester Local Development Framework (LDF) for 1,750 homes.

The NAR3 represents a key part of the transport package required to deliver new homes and employment in the area. The provision of the road infrastructure will release and serve the Severalls phase one and phase two development sites, enabling further housing to be made available in the near future on the phase one site, where limited numbers of housing has already been delivered.  It will also help to ease congestion in North Colchester and improve access to the existing Severalls Business Park and Weston Homes Community Stadium. This will be achieved through connecting Junction 28 on the A12, Axial Way and United Way to the existing Northern Approach Road, creating a transport corridor between the Town Centre, the Colchester North Growth Area (as defined within the Colchester LDF) and the A12, and providing a route for future park and ride services.

County Councillor Rodney Bass, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: “I am delighted that we are now in a position to award the contract for the construction of the next phase of the Northern Approach Road.  This is an important scheme for the development of Colchester, and a fine example of government and local agencies working in partnership to deliver real benefits for our residents and local businesses. Driving economic growth is one of the council’s most important objectives at this time, and the construction of the Northern Approach Road will help unlock growth throughout Essex.”