Councillors to make crucial bypass decision

Members of Melton Borough Council’s cabinet are meeting to decide whether to approve increasing the amount the authority underwrites the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (MMDR) project from £1million to £1.75million.

This is in response to a request from Leicestershire County Council, which wanted the borough council to take on more of the financial risk with it needing to forward fund £55million for the infrastructure including building new schools.

County Hall will aim to recoup the outlay as contributions from developers.

Borough councillors have already moved to allay fears the county council had that it would not get its money back by producing a revised plan to ensure developer contributions are secured.

If cabinet approves the new Staged Payment Agreement, it will immediately be considered at a meeting of the full council straight afterwards, with the hope that county councillors will then agree to accept £15million in government funding towards the £28million cost of the south link to the MMDR.

It is hoped to start building the road next spring.