Work gets underway on the Broughton Bypass

Construction of the Broughton Bypass is officially underway following a ground-breaking ceremony earlier today (Monday 11 January).

The new road will help boost the local economy and create jobs, as well as reducing congestion and pollution in the centre of the village, and improving journey times for people travelling locally.

Edwin Booth, chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP), put the first spade in the ground on land next to the A6, just north of Broughton village. The bypass will reduce traffic travelling through the centre of Broughton on Garstang Road by up to 90%.

Scheduled to open in spring 2017, the £24m scheme is receiving funding through both the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal and the £251m Lancashire Growth Deal. The City Deal will help to create more than 20,000 new private sector jobs and see over 17,000 new homes built across Preston and South Ribble, as well as new school places, open green spaces and new health provision to cater for the growing population.

The construction of the Broughton bypass will also support a new housing development on the former Whittingham Hospital site, where approval has been given for a development of 650 homes and 9,000 square metres of space for business use. 150 new homes will be built in the first phase.

The City Deal is part of the LEP’s overall county-wide strategic growth programme which will boost the local economy by £3bn by 2025, creating 50,000 jobs and supporting the building of 40,000 new homes.

Among those joining Edwin Booth at the launch were Jennifer Mein, leader of Lancashire County Council; Peter Rankin, leader of Preston City Council; Margaret Smith, leader of South Ribble Borough Council; and Karl Tupling, NW Director of the Homes and Communities Agency.

Edwin Booth, Chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, said: "This is yet another major project that is going ahead with funding through the Enterprise Partnership.

"The aim of the City Deal is to unlock the economic potential of the area, creating new jobs and making it easier for residents and businesses to get around.

"Our plans include major improvements to the road network, which will encourage new business and housing developments, along with a range of other improvements to local communities as places to live and work."

Congestion has been an issue in Broughton village for the last 40 years. Traffic has continued to grow with more than 22,000 vehicles now passing through on the A6 every day.

The planning permission also includes a scheme of complementary work, with £1m earmarked to fund improvements in the village and locally along the A6 corridor and Guild Wheel cycle route to create a safer and more attractive environment for road users, cyclists and pedestrians.

Jennifer Mein, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: "This work will solve long-standing problems in Broughton and bring welcome relief for local people who have experienced traffic congestion through their village.

"Our own staff, from teams across the county council, have worked hard to get us to this point. And we’ve worked closely with our partners and other organisations to realise these plans.

"This is a landmark day for the area and marks the start of exciting improvements that will benefit residents and businesses in Broughton itself, as well as people from further afield."

James Wharton, Northern Powerhouse Minister, said: “Today’s ground-breaking is the first step in the future development of Broughton, bringing down congestion for residents while at the same time creating hundreds of homes and jobs for the area.

“This is thanks to our wider City Deal for Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire; and support from the £251million Local Growth Fund, a key part of our efforts to build the Northern Powerhouse and rebalance the economy.”

Councillor Peter Rankin, leader of Preston City Council, said: "This is an important moment for Preston. We’re talking hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in the city’s infrastructure to create a lasting legacy for future generations. This is only possible through the £450m City Deal which we have secured for the area, despite recent reductions to overall council funding.

"The new Broughton bypass tackles one of Preston’s key traffic hotspots. It improves traffic flow around Preston, boosts air quality and unlocks areas for new housing and business development. The City Deal is transforming the local area and unleashing Preston’s true potential as the economic engine of Lancashire.”

The bypass will dramatically reduce the volume of traffic travelling through the centre of Broughton on Garstang Road by creating a new route from the roundabout at Junction 1 of the M55 to the A6 north of the village.

Once the bypass has been completed, further work will take place in the village itself to discourage traffic and improve the environment for residents, pedestrians and cyclists.

Construction of the new bypass is being carried out by HOCHTIEF (UK) Construction Limited. Their previous experience on other road building projects includes the Forth Road Bridge Replacement (The Queensferry Crossing), the Bexhill to Hastings Link Road, the East Kent Access Road and the Shinfield Eastern Relief Road near Reading.

Matthew Mosley, project manager from HOCHTIEF (UK) Construction, said: “We are looking forward to working closely with Lancashire County Council, the local community and all stakeholders on this essential infrastructure improvement project to reduce congestion in the village of Broughton.”

Taylor Wimpey is already working on the new housing development at Whittingham Hospital, and other developments are planned in the area.

The City Deal is an agreement between Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, along with central government and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

For more information on Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal and to watch the new fly-through video showing the route of the Broughton Bypass visit
www.lancashirelep.co.uk/city-deal or follow the City Deal on Twitter @lancscitydeal.