31 Jul 2012, 3:03 pm
The application is for an upgrade to Junction 10A of the M1. The Council said that there are significant queues and delays at the junction, especially at peak travel times. It said that improvements are required to cope with the existing traffic problems and to provide capacity for increased demand arising from proposed employment and housing growth.
According to the Council's statement, it secured Growth Area Funding (GAF) from the Homes & Communities Agency in 2008 and has been working with the Highways Agency, Central Bedfordshire Council and its designer, URS, to develop an appropriate engineering and environmental solution.
The proposals for the improvements to the junction include removal of the existing roundabout and provision of a continuous and widened carriageway between the M1 Junction 10 and A1081 Airport Way, and new roundabouts and slip roads giving access to London Road. The scheme will be subject to Environmental Impact Assessment, and an environmental statement has been lodged with the National Infrastructure Directorate, which is part of the Planning Inspectorate.
The Planning Inspectorate is the agency responsible for operating the planning process for nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs). Any developer wishing to construct an NSIP must first apply for consent to do so.
