More than £51M of government funding for major transport schemes to serve new housing developments across the UK has been approved this week.
The latest tranche of the Department for Transport-Office of the Deputy Prime Minister community infrastructure fund will provide funding for 10 new schemes in Northamptonshire, Peterborough, Essex, Aylesbury and the Thames Gateway.
Northampton gained the largest award of £19.9M for three road upgrades to the west of the town, to unlock development of 4,000 homes while easing traffic congestion in central Northampton and creating ‘a more sustainable, orbital transport system for the town’.
Among other projects given the green light were: at Aylesbury North Station, an £8.2M upgrade of existing single track and signalling to create new parkway station; the £7.2M Fletton Parkway project to widen two junctions on the A1139 in Peterborough to create a new single-carriageway linkroad; and £6.1M for a northern orbital road for Corby.
The ODPM also pleased campaigners calling for a train link between Oxford, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and Bedford to be reinstated, as a study it funded was published, ‘as part of ongoing work on planning for more sustainable growth’ according to planning minister Phil Woolas.
The east-west rail study, overseen by a local council consortium led by Buckinghamshire, identifies possible ways of funding the railway and making it happen within five years.