Ministers have confirmed funding of £102m towards Cumbria County Council’s plans for the Carlisle Southern Link Road.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is to provide the cash from the Housing Infrastructure Fund for the £112m scheme. The remaining £10m needed will be split equally between Cumbria and Carlisle City Council, who aim to recoup the investment from future developer contributions.
The new road will connect Junction 42 of the M6 with the A595 to the west of the city and support the development of 10,000 new homes at St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, which also received £300,000 from MHCLG on Wednesday (13 February) to support the planning process.
Cumbria said it had worked with the city council and Homes England to develop the proposals following a consultation exercise, which resulted in the preferred ‘green route’ being announced in June last year. Further detailed public consultation on a final route proposal will be carried out in the summer.
County council leader Stewart Young, said: ‘We’ve been clear from the very beginning of this process that this strategic road will provide significant benefits for Carlisle and the whole county, helping unlock both housing and economic growth.
‘Thanks must go to the teams who worked so hard on the business case submission to secure this funding as we were up against councils from across the country who were also doing all they could to promote their schemes and win the government over. It’s hugely satisfying to see that the government also see the benefits that this road will have for the people of Cumbria.'
City council leader Colin Glover, said the announcement was 'another important step forward for the growth of Carlisle'.
Cumbria said development work will continue to secure planning permission to build the road and develop the design. Construction work is expected to start in spring 2021 and take two years.
The cash is part of a £250m package announced by communities secretary James Brokenshire, which MHCHG said would deliver almost 25,000 new homes. As part of this, Devon County Council also received £55m from the Housing Infrastructure Fund for road improvements and other infrastructure to support 2,500 new homes to the south west of Exeter.
It said the cash will help support the early delivery of infrastructure to support key improvements to transport links.
Some of the elements in the council’s scheme are:
- widening sections of the A379 between the Matford roundabout and Chudleigh Road, Alphington, and development of new junctions to serve the new development;
- pedestrian/cycle bridge to provide a safe crossing over the A379, serving a school campus and community facilities;
- upgrade of the Devon Hotel roundabout to increase capacity;
- enhancements in Alphington village;
- realignment of Chudleigh Road, near Alphington, and new signal junction, to improve safety and unlock development to the north of the A379; and
- development of Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space to mitigate the impact on the Exe Estuary.
