Go-ahead for Daventry Development Link Road

Planning permission has been granted for the A45 Daventry Development Link Road.

Last month Daventry District Council (DDC) entered into a funding agreement with Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) to help deliver the project.

Construction of the road, which is known locally as the A45 Flore/Weedon Bypass, is expected to start this autumn after NCC’s Development Control Committee approved the planning application for the scheme on Tuesday (16 June).

The 3.5-mile single carriageway link road will start at a new roundabout on the A45 between Dodford and Weedon and pass north of Weedon, Flore and Upper Heyford before rejoining the A45 at a new roundabout between Upper Heyford and the M1 at Junction 16.

DDC is expected to invest more than £20 million in the scheme. Most of the remainder of the project’s £35.7m estimated total cost will come from the Local Growth Fund – government money secured by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership with backing from the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership.

Cllr Chris Millar, leader of Daventry District Council, said: “We are delighted by this decision, which paves the way for the construction of the Daventry Development Link Road and the many benefits it will bring to the town and wider district.

“It will relieve traffic in the villages it bypasses and is absolutely key to the sustainable future growth of Daventry. It will also improve links between Daventry, the M1 and Northampton and assist in attracting further inward investment.

“After many years of work everything is now in place to deliver this project and we look forward to construction starting later this year.”

The road could open as early as June 2017.