Planning work on course to secure southern link funding for partial bypass

The government has pledged to contribute £15million towards the £28million scheme to connect Burton Road with the A607 Leicester Road.

Leicestershire County Council was to have paid the shortfall of £13million up front and then recoup that money from developer contributions for house building in the south of the town.

But in March, County Hall decided it was too much of a risk for it to pay the money in advance because it said Melton Borough Council had not produced a ‘masterplan’ to demonstrate how the developer money would come through.

County councillors voted to reject the £15million government funding which led to concerns there would be a delay in the building of the south link.

But borough councillors have not given up on accepting the cash and are in the process of drawing up a ‘masterplan’ - to include details such as the number of houses to be built and the siting of a planned new school - in time for next month’s deadline for accepting the funding.

Officials are working with stakeholders to complete a draft masterplan by next week and a final document by the end of this month.

It will then go before the council’s cabinet on June 17 in a bid to convince the county council to take up the government funding, which has been promised through the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF).

Borough council leader Joe Orson told last night’s annual meeting, which was broadcast online on You Tube because of social distancing restrictions: “I’m pleased to say that the masterplan will be going to the county council on time so they will still be able to go ahead and claim the funding from the bid.”

Funds of £63.5million are in place for the north and east sections of the partial bypass, called the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (MMDR), which will connect the A606 Nottingham Road with the A606 Burton Road.

And it was reported in an industry magazine this week that construction company Galliford Try has signed a contract to build the road.

Councillor Orson told colleages at last night’s meeting: “This is nothing short of good news - I am over the moon to hear this.”

The Melton Times is awaiting comment from Galliford Try on their reported involvement with the scheme.

The building of the north and east sections of the MMDR is set to start in the summer of next year with completion expected by the autumn of 2023.

It is hoped a southern section will be built at the same time.