I was pleased to visit the site of the Towcester Relief Road this morning for an update and a tour by Persimmon and their contractors. Whilst the site is still looking quite incomplete, I was given specific dates by Persimmon by which time Towcester residents should see significant changes and improvements. 

These are: 

• End of May - the first roundabout and first section of road from the A5 roundabout should be complete (note it will not yet reach the A5 as the roundabout itself will not be finished!)

• Middle of June - upgrades to water mains by Anglian Water should be completed next to the A5 roundabout. (I will be contacting Anglian Water to ask them to expedite the work.). This will enable the final work on the A5 roundabout to be completed. 

• End of July - Persimmon hope to have the A5 roundabout opened in time for Silverstone and the whole works to finish the A5 roundabout completed by the end of July.  The roundabout will be open from early July but will continue to have speed restrictions in place. 

In summary, Persimmon plan to have met the overdue terms of the Section 106 agreement by the end of July, subject to any unforeseen further problems.

As things stand, Persimmon hopes to finalise the engineering design for the A43 roundabout by the end of May this year, and to finish much of the rest of the relief road by the end of 2023, leaving only a bridge at the A43 end, plus the A43 roundabout itself to be built, and their best estimate remains that the entire road will be open in time for the British Grand Prix in 2024!   

The map in this post provides further details. 

I was relieved to see that following various heated exchanges with me in recent months, Persimmon are convincingly determined to deliver for local residents. They have told me that they are planning to create their own local website for Towcester residents to give a step by step update on different elements of the relief road as they open up so residents can report any questions or comments. I hope this provides residents with a new level of reassurance that Persimmon are focused on getting the Relief Road finally completed. I will, of course, continue with my monthly progress meetings with Persimmon, National Highways and WNC.