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Published on: 06/10/2017 06:37 AMReported by: roving-eye
Plans to improve motorway access in north Preston have been agreed, as part of a new road scheme known as the Preston Western Distributor.
The aim is to provide a major new link from the M55, along the west side of Preston towards Blackpool Road and Riversway.
The plans agreed by Lancashire County Council's Development Control Committee also include two connecting roads linking to new and existing housing areas of North West Preston and Cottam.
Following the planning approval, the next steps will be to acquire the land and other preparatory work, as well as confirm the final budget and the construction schedule.
These new roads will help to promote new housing and business development in the area, while reducing congestion and increasing capacity on the existing road network.
There will also be opportunities for new bus priority measures, improvements to local public areas and initiatives to encourage walking and cycling.
The scheme is one of several major road schemes in the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal.
County Councillor Keith Iddon, Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We want to help people get around while reducing congestion in parts of the road network. This planned new road is an important part of improving people's journeys, which will also bring new people into the area, link to new housing developments and deliver new economic growth.
"We've just opened the Broughton Bypass and we recently had approval for the Penwortham Bypass. We've now got approval for the Preston Western Distributor, which makes this a very positive time with major changes taking place on the road network across Preston and South Ribble.
"It’s clear that the area is changing and growing, which means that we also need to improve the road network to accommodate increasing numbers of vehicles in the future, while also helping to promote growth and create new jobs."
This scheme is possible thanks to funding from central government, via the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal.
The City Deal is an agreement between the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, along with central government and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
Councillor Peter Rankin, Leader of Preston City Council, said: "The Preston Western Distributor is another key step in the growth and development of Preston. It offers the opportunity to ease congestion and create greater links to new housing developments, but it also demonstrates City Deal’s continuing commitment to investing in the city’s infrastructure and support for economic growth."
The Preston Western Distributor is a 4.3km dual carriageway linking the A583 at Lea to the M55 at Bartle with a new motorway junction.
The East West Link Road will be a 3.4km long single carriageway road linking Lightfoot Lane to the Preston Western Distributor, with separate foot and cycle ways along its full length.
As part of the Preston Western Distributor, a single carriageway road will be created to Cottam Way. Known as the Cottam Link Road, it will join the Preston Western Distributor just north of the Lancaster Canal.
City Deal will help to deliver new infrastructure, new homes and more jobs over the next ten years. It will help to create more than 20,000 new private sector jobs and see over 17,000 new homes built across the area, along with new school places, open green spaces and new health provision to cater for the growing population.
The scheme will provide direct access to the housing areas in North West Preston proposed in the adopted Central Lancashire Core Strategy and Preston Local Plan 2012-2026 and detailed in the Preston City Council's published North West Preston Masterplan.
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