Planning work on a new relief road to open-up land for up to 4,000 new homes for Spalding is set to start in earnest.
South Holland District Council applied for £244,000 of Government funding to help the early stages of the plans for the ‘urban extension.’
The money was awarded and members of the council were last night (Wednesday) recommended to approve plans to use £100,000 of its money to fund the initial planning process.
The South East Lincolnshire Local Plan includes proposals for major housing growth to the land off the Vernatt’s Drain.
There will be at least 900 new homes in the next 20 years, with around 4,000 proposed over the longer term.
“A fundamental cornerstone of this substantial new neighbourhood is the provision of the northern section of the Spalding Western Relief Road (SWRR) which will play a critical role in opening-up the urban extension,” says the report to go before full council at a meeting yesterday (Wednesday).
The area will include a range of community projects from a new primary school to health care facilities, the report says.
Public consultation on the master planning of the relief road project looks likely to take place next summer.
“This process will enable the council to develop a detailed strategy for the future delivery of the proposed housing and infrastructure,” the report says.
Members are formally recommended to accept the £224,000 funding from the Homes and Communities Agency and to make available the £100,000 of match-funding.
“The road is expected to deliver significant benefits to the traffic management around Spalding, providing an alternative route to the congested A151 which passes through Spalding town centre.
“It is anticipated that this public consultation exercise will make a significant contribution to the overall design and plans for the northern Spalding Sustainable Urban Expansion,” the report says.
The south phase of the relief road is currently being discussed by the county council and developer Broadgate Homes, which is contributing to the cost.
A principle has been agreed and is the subject of a current review.
There will also need to be discussions with Network Rail as the railway line will need bridging.
The north phase, now funding has been approved, should see a master plan exercise completed within this financial year.
Meanwhile plans to help traffic flow in Spalding town centre are still in the air as the suggestion of a mini roundabout at the junction of Winfrey Avenue and Kings Road has been dismissed.
A year ago Lincolnshire County Council was looking at traffic problems in the town and the roundabout was deemed a possibility.
But the completed feasibility report showed poor visibility to be an issue.
“As a result, we have undertaken additional traffic modelling at Swan Street and are currently reviewing our options for the road, including a full closure and making it one-way. Further design work will be carried out over the next six months,” said Coun Richard Davies, executive member for highways for the county council.
The urban extension of Spalding was revealed in the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan which details policies for the area until 2036. It is currently being examined.
South Holland is likely to grow by at least 11,000 new homes during that time.
