Renewed hope for early building of south link to Melton bypass

There is still hope that promised £15million funding for a southern link to Melton’s partial bypass will still be claimed despite a spat between two local councils.
The route of the approved Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (MMDR), connecting north, east and south, and how it would join with the planned southern link section EMN-200324-190822001The route of the approved Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (MMDR), connecting north, east and south, and how it would join with the planned southern link section EMN-200324-190822001
The route of the approved Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (MMDR), connecting north, east and south, and how it would join with the planned southern link section EMN-200324-190822001

The money was pledged by the government to help pay the £28million cost of the road, which would link Burton Road with the A607 Leicester Road.

Leicestershire County Council was due to pay the remainder of the cost up front and then recoup that money from developer contributions for house building in the south of the town.

But last month, the county council 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.

Melton Borough Council leader, Councillor Joe Orson EMN-200324-190937001Melton Borough Council leader, Councillor Joe Orson EMN-200324-190937001
Melton Borough Council leader, Councillor Joe Orson EMN-200324-190937001

As a consequence, county councillors voted to reject the £15million government funding, prompting concerns that there would be a delay in the building of the south link.

But borough councillors have not given up on accepting the money and have now pledged to draw up a ‘masterplan’ - involving issues such as the number of houses to be built and the site of a proposed new school - by the June deadline for the funding.

At a cabinet meeting yesterday (Wednesday), leader Joe Orson said the council had offered to work on the plan jointly with County Hall but had received no response from the other authority.

Councillor Orson told the meeting: “Melton Borough Council is the planning authority for this area and this town so it is right that we should proceed with this masterplan unilaterally.

“It is a tight schedule to get the plan in place in time but we want to use this funding so we can get the southern link built as soon as possible.”

Deputy leader Leigh Higgins said the building of the bypass and new housing was vital for Melton’s economy, particularly with the adverse impact likely to be felt by the coronavirus lockdown.

Councillor Alison Freer-Jones told the meeting that it was important to build the road as soon as possible.

“Whenever I have spoken to residents in the south of Melton they have been emphatic that the road should be built first so the infrastructure is in place for new housing,” she said.

The decision by County Hall to reject the government cash - which has been pledged through Housing Infrastructure Funding (HIF) - was criticised by Councillor Ronnie de Burle.

He told cabinet colleagues: “The county council is gerrymandering and moving the goalposts in what appears to be nothing more than attempts to thwart the wishes of the people of Melton.”

Members voted to agree for a draft masterplan to be completed by May 18 while engaging with stakeholders and to draw up a final document by the end of May.

It will then be presented to cabinet on June 17 so there will still be time to claim the promised funding before the deadline elapses.

Funding of £63.5million remains in place for the north and east sections of the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (MMDR), which would connect the A606 Nottingham Road with the A606 Burton Road.

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

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

Wednesday’s cabinet meeting was the first Melton Borough Council committee meeting ever to be streamed live on You Tube.

Members joined by remote internet links from their own homes or the council offices because of Covid-19 isolation restrictions.