Midcheshire Independent Issue 171

FREE YOUR LOCAL GOOD NEWS-PAPER Follow us on Facebook: yourlocalinde ISSUE 171 • OCTOBER 2024 YOUR LOCAL FREE MID CHESHIRE COVERING NANTWICH, NORTHWICH, WINSFORD, MIDDLEWICH, KNUTSFORD AND SURROUNDING AREAS Axe falls on closed tips THE final businesses case for the £95million Mid- dlewich Eastern Bypass scheme has been submit- ted to the government in a bid to get the project back on the road. Cheshire East is seeking final approval for grant fund- ing from the Department for Transport to help deliver a 1.6-mile bypass. The road scheme was bypassed by the previous Con- servative government earlier this year. The then roads minister Guy Opperman said that although the government had approved the scheme at the previous business case stage, costs had risen and in the lat- est business case the overall value for money provided was “poor”. He said: “Therefore, I have been unable to give approval to allow the scheme to proceed into construction at this time. “I have asked the promot- ing authority, Cheshire East Council, to look again at the scheme costs.” Announcing the resubmis- sion, Mark Goldsmith, who chairs the council’s highways and transport committee, said: “We know there is strong support from local people for the Middlewich Eastern Bypass and that they have long campaigned for this scheme to be delivered. “We have submitted a robust business case to gov- ernment that clearly demon- strates why the bypass is fundamental to our growth ambitions for Middlewich and why its significant ben- efits will extend well beyond the town itself. “We have worked very closely with government offi- cials on this new road since 2017. At each stage we have responded to all of the require- ments and have a very invest- able scheme with a positive business case, so we expect the government to now fund this scheme’s construction. “This bypass will relieve severe traffic congestion at the junction of two major roads, the A54 and A533, which for many years has impacted residents’ quality of life and deterred businesses away from the area. “It will reduce air pollution and noise levels in residen- tial areas by diverting traffic away – particularly lorries – and also help to improve the reliability of bus services. “By improving the highway network, it will improve con- nectivity to major employment sites and enhance the region’s attractiveness for further development – unlocking up to 1,950 new homes and employ- ment land and potentially cre- ating up to 6,500 jobs in the local area. “It will also improve the infrastructure of the wider Mid Cheshire towns, including Crewe, Winsford, and North- wich, and improve access to major transport links, includ- ing the M6 motorway.” The bypass will be a new two-way single carriageway road that will connect a new ‘Let’s get back on the road’ Business case resubmitted for bypass plan Congestion: Traffic queues in Middlewich (Photo credit: CEC) roundabout junction off Pochin Way in the north of the town to a new roundabout junction to the south, connecting with the A533 Booth Lane. The plans also include a new bridge over the Trent and Mersey Canal, a new bridge over the Sandbach-to-North- wich railway line, and a com- bined cycleway and footway, which supports the council’s continued commitment to encourage active travel and greener transport. Now the council has sub- mitted its final business case for the bypass, it needs to be reviewed by the Department for Transport’s Investment Committee, which is expected to take place in November. The committee will make a recommendation to the transport secretary Louise Haigh, who will then make a final decision on whether the scheme will receive govern- ment funding. Councillor Goldsmith added: “In submitting our business case for this scheme, we have addressed recent feedback from the Department for Transport and further strengthened the scheme’s economic case which, like many others in this programme, had been impacted by the exceptionally high inflation pressures since the Covid-19 pandemic. “The bypass is ‘shovel ready’, with designs com- pleted, all planning permis- sions and statutory orders confirmed, and contractors lined up. “Delaying this scheme fur- ther will have major financial implications for the council and to ensure that it remains achievable, our ambition is to receive full business case approval from government later this year, or early 2025, so that we could start on site in spring 2025 and the bypass can be open by autumn 2027.” THREE tips in Cheshire East temporarily shut earlier this year will not reopen after the cash-strapped council voted for their permanent closure. The sites in Bollington, Middlewich and Poynton were temporarily closed in August ahead of a review of house- holdwaste recycling centres. ● Full story page four NEW LOOK MARKET REVEALED THE first image showing how the new £1.8million Northwich Market at Barons Quay might look once work is completed has been released. ● Continued on page two