Plans are in the pipeline to develop a new strategy to ensure Leicestershire’s roads and transport networks are prepared for future growth.
In line with national trends, the population of Leicestershire is set to grow by 23% between 2018-2043.
As our communities will recognise, new development is already coming forward, both through planned growth and additional applications beyond those identified in Local Plans.
Major road schemes and improvements to the existing road network in key areas will be identified and developed through Leicestershire County Council’s proposed ‘Spatial Development Strategy.’
If work to prepare the strategy is approved by the council’s Cabinet, it will consider the emerging Local Plans of all seven districts, alongside the concerns of local communities, councillors and MPs about how growth and new development impacts traffic.
“Population growth brings challenges, and we need to plan ahead. With several new Local Plans being prepared, it’s important we adopt this approach now.
“But regardless of whether new local plans come forward, population growth will place increased demands on Leicestershire’s transport system.
“In order for our strategy to be a success, we need to work with districts and feed into their local planning policies. This is vital to ensure new homes and jobs come with the infrastructure communities both want and need.
“Early work has highlighted some key schemes that we expect would make a difference to residents, and we hope that work to develop the strategy will go a long way to helping make these become a possibility.”
Person:Councillor Adam Tilbury, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport
Pooling funding from developer contributions, government streams and local investment will be central to making schemes achievable.
Schemes that have been identified for potential development include:
· A possible new route to provide traffic relief south of Leicester from the A47 East to a new junction (J20a) on the M1
· Examining the options to improve traffic flow on the A6 corridor to the south of the city, potentially looking at a new road around the Kibworth villages
· To explore options for the possible use of the Eastern District Distributor Road (EDDR) reservation in Oadby to help deliver growth and manage congestion
Cabinet will discuss the proposals on Tuesday 16 December at 2pm. Watch the meeting online.