Plans for new relief road set for approval
LDRSPlans for a long-awaited relief road to ease traffic around a town are set to be approved.
The Blyth Relief Road scheme is due to be discussed by Northumberland County Council's planning committee on Tuesday, with officers recommending the panel give it the green light.
Campaigners have called for the scheme for years, with congestion recently exacerbated by significant development as part of ongoing regeneration work.
The £55m project would see a new dual carriageway and widening of the existing single carriageway along the length of the A1061. A single carriageway link would also be created between Chase Farm Drive and Ogle Drive.
The government is providing about £50m of the overall cost, with the Conservative-led council footing a £4.3m bill, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
No opening date has been given at this point, but a report prepared ahead of the planning meeting said the construction phase was estimated to take about 16 months.
The routes include new bus stops, with segregated cycleways and footpaths also proposed along the A1061.
Despite the long-term need for the scheme, 132 objections were sent to the council from residents, complaining the plans are "out of date" and the proposals "fail to address Blyth's real traffic issues".
One objection was also sent from the council's own Built Heritage and Design team.
It feared the scheme would "fail to preserve the setting of the Grade II listed Low Horton Farmhouse and Newsham South Farm", due to increased noise levels and loss of hedgerows and trees.
Council officers concluded these would cause "less than substantial harm" and the benefits of the scheme had to be considered in this context.
