Objectives and funding – Clophill roundabout consultation
Consultation closed: Monday, 11 July 2022
Consultation opened: Monday, 16 May 2022
As we wanted to ease congestion at this busy junction, we submitted an expression of interest to the government in January 2020 for Local Pinch Point funding. We were then asked by the government to convert this into a Levelling Up Fund bid in March 2021. This bid included the following objectives:
- provide increased capacity at the junction, reducing congestion and journey times
- improve connections and socio-economic opportunities (such as new jobs)
- reduce severance across the A6 and A507 (the feeling of a split between the communities living on the different sides of the roads)
- support businesses and facilitate new development – essential pieces of transport infrastructure such as this scheme help deliver the jobs and growth set out in the Local Plan and the growth needed to bounce back strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic
The project supports our Strategic Plan. There are sustainability benefits with smoother flowing traffic (less stopping and starting) leading to reduced CO2 emissions and improvements are planned to encourage more active travel such as walking and cycling. There are economic benefits too, with the increased traffic capacity able to support new development which in turn creates opportunities for rewarding work.
In October 2021, we secured £6.8 million of government Levelling Up funding to support a £7.8 million scheme to improve the roundabout at the busy A6 and A507 junction in Clophill.
Government funding requirements indicate works need to be completed by 2024.