Relief road plan backed by council
BBCPlans for a long-awaited relief road to ease traffic around a town have been approved by councillors.
If the government confirms funding in the summer, the £55m project at Blyth, Northumberland, will see the construction of a dual carriageway at the western end of the A1061 with a 0.8-mile (1.3km) stretch connecting the A192 Three Horseshoes junction and the Portland Wynd roundabout.
An existing single carriageway will also be dualled, alongside the construction of a new single carriageway link between Chase Farm Drive and Ogle Drive.
Northumberland County Council's head of planning, Liz Sinnamon, said it would "make a real difference", although 132 objections were received by the authority.
The government is set to provide about £50m with the Conservative-led council putting forward £4.3m, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
At a meeting of the authority's strategic planning committee on Tuesday, Sinnamon said construction would "be challenging" but "bring great benefits".
Ahead of a vote, council leader Glen Sanderson said: "Anyone who has tried to get into Blyth at certain times of the day knows it is absolutely awful.
"This is a hugely important project that we have moved forward with urgency and commitment."
Deputy leader Richard Wearmouth said: "The last bit of the jigsaw is the funding. We've already voted through our portion of the funding and we're hopeful the government will be providing the remainder.
"We have a letter to confirm that a decision will be made in the summer. We will be putting on all the usual pressure."
'Waste of money'
However, Labour councillor Caroline Ball warned the plans do not go far enough.
She said: "I have spent days of my life stuck on Cowpen Road trying to get to the town centre.
"I don't think it is going to solve the problem and I think it will cause more issues.
"We're not going to get a second bite at the cherry for funding for this. Go big or go home. I don't think this is the right scheme."
Independent councillor Georgina Hill said she had "a hunch that in a few years it will be seen as a waste of money".
Two members of the public also spoke at the meeting with one saying he feared it would be of "minimal benefit", while the other claimed there was "insufficiently robust evidence to justify the cost".
The scheme was approved by seven votes to two, with one abstention.
