Great news! I am really pleased to see that the Department for Transport has written to West Northants Council to say that discussions will begin in May to examine the ‘strategic case and desirability’ of de-trunking all or part of the A5 south from Crick (M1 Junction 18) to Junction 11a of the M1. 

The A5 is an important artery route through South Northamptonshire so the question of de-trunking a 50 mile plus stretch of it will be fairly controversial, and will need to be carefully considered.  However there is one stretch of the A5 that all local residents would LOVE to see de-trunked, and that is the section through the middle of Towcester.  You can rest assured I will be making the strongest possible case for de-trunking this section early, and using the new Towcester relief road, being built as we speak, as the ideal solution.

I have campaigned with local Conservatives for many years to get the Towcester Relief Road built - it has been needed for at least the last 40 years, and the problems of congestion and air pollution in the town centre are well known to us all.  I have pressed Highways England and the Department for Transport hard over more than 10 years to have the A5 de-trunked, and I am delighted to see that a serious conversation can start about moving this proposal forward. It is potentially great news for local residents and delivering a solution remains one of my top priorities for South Northamptonshire.

I will shortly be meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss a number of transport and infrastructure issues in our area. The Towcester Relief Road is high on the agenda, and I will be making the case for this plan to be expedited, and asking them to meet the cost of getting this section of the A5 de-trunked, which will involve a slightly better spec on the relief road. Highways England already confirmed at a recent public meeting that the relief road could fairly easily be upgraded. It is just a matter, as always, of the cost of doing it.  I do hope that DfT will see the value for taxpayers’ money of doing the upgrade now, whilst the relief road work is underway. 

This is essential for the future of Towcester and the local area, and I will continue to push the relevant stakeholders to get this important project over the line.