As South Northants residents will by now be very aware, two of my biggest road priorities for our area are the Towcester Relief Road and the Farthinghoe Bypass. These projects are both of utmost importance to reduce the delays that impact the local road network, as well as aiming to massively improve quality of life for both communities. 

To read previous updates on these two projects please click here. 

On the Towcester Relief Road, the working group I set up of councils, the developer and highway authorities continues to make progress, and I am extremely hopeful that we will be able to achieve an agreement to secure the early funding of the relief road. I am determined that the road achieves its long-stated aim of removing non-local HGVs from the town centre and improving air quality as soon as possible.

In terms of the Farthinghoe Bypass, Northamptonshire Highways and the South-East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) have agreed to bid for funding through the proposed Major Road Network scheme. I responded to the recent Department for Transport Consultation on the MRN scheme and you can read more about it, including my submission,  here. 

Whilst I am hopeful that both projects are moving forward, I have written to Martin Tett, Chairman of the England Economic Heartland Strategic Alliance which is currently developing its sub-national Transport Strategy for our area, to ask for his support of these vital infrastructure investments. My letter is as below.

I hope that these updates are informative, and please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns.