An aerial view of the ongoing Grantham Southern Relief Road. Photo: Lincolnshire County Council
Objections to the Grantham Southern Relief Road project have been described as “unacceptable” and “not good enough” by a senior county councillor.
Councillor Richard Davies, executive councillor for highways, said that while he could not guarantee that the objections will not lead to a public enquiry, he was confident the road will still be built.
The £81 million project will join the B1174 to the A1 via a grade-separated junction.
The relief road will link the A52 at Somerby Hill to the A1, which should reduce congestion in Grantham town centre.
Lincolnshire county councillor Richard Davies. Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter
Network Rail – affected land, width size of the easement, details of CPO, access rights to new access track and potential additional easements
Zurich – justification and use of compulsory purchase order
Western Power Distribution – protection of interests in vicinity of the scheme
Grantham Motor Company – site access, position of transporter layby and stopping up proposal
An aerial view of the ongoing Grantham Southern Relief Road. Photo: Lincolnshire County Council
Councillor Davies said that the council is discussing the objections with the bodies but added that it was still frustrating.
“It’s not right that nationally controlled infrastructure companies like Network Rail and Highways England are able to frustrate building a road in this way,” he said.
“The reality is that none of what we are talking about doing is a surprise.
“We have literally being talking to them for years in face to face meetings as well as project team meetings.
“I’m afraid it’s not good enough for areas of taxpayer funded services to frustrate something that everybody agrees is so desperately needed.”
He added that a public enquiry would not be an ideal situation for the project but it would not delay building the relief road.
It is expected that an enquiry would be called towards the end of the year, should it be required.
Councillor Davies said he could not guarantee that the county council will avoid such a situation.
“I could not guarantee that we will avoid the enquiry,” he said.
“I am confident that it’s not going to stop the road being build, which for the people of south Lincolnshire and Grantham in particular is absolutely the key issue.”
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England will enter the next stage of its roadmap out of coronavirus lockdown on Monday, meaning non-essential retail and gyms can reopen, as well as pubs, bars and restaurants for outdoor service only.
The rules will come into play on Monday, April 12, allowing for the retail sector to open its doors for customers once again, less than two weeks after the latest lockdown easing on March 29, which meant outdoor socialising was allowed for up to six people.
Hospitality venues will be able to reopen as well, but only for outdoor service, with a full reopening planned for May 17 if COVID-19 cases continue to stay low and the vaccination programme keeps its course.
The rule of six does still remain for outdoor socialising, and people are still being asked not to meet indoors with anyone they don’t live with, unless they are part of a support bubble or legally exempt.
People are also still being asked to keep travel down to a minimum, though since March 29 it is no longer a legal requirement to stay local or at home.
The full list of new rules are:
Hairdressers and nail salons can reopen
Public buildings such as libraries and community centres can reopen
Non-essential retail (clothes shops etc) will be able to return to business
Self-contained accommodation will be able to reopen for overnight stays with your household or support bubble
Weddings, wakes and other commemorative events will be allowed up to 15 people, including inside, but wedding receptions must be outdoors
All childcare and supervised activities will be allowed indoors and outdoors for all children, this is also the case for parent and child groups
Most outdoor attractions (zoos, theme parks, drive-in performances) will be able to reopen
Care home residents will be able to have two named individuals for regular indoor visits (so long as they have a negative lateral flow test)
Lincolnshire Police’s assistant chief constable, Kerrin Wilson, said: “Lockdown has hit practically every aspect of life as we know it, and perhaps the hardest part has been not being able to connect with family and friends in person.
“The easing of restrictions will come as a great relief to many, and I hope the new rules, which afford us the chance to socialise safely as well as get back to doing some of the things we all took for granted, will contribute to a feeling of wellbeing for us all.
“While many of you will already be busy making plans, some of you may feel a sense of nervousness or worry about society opening back up, and we want to assure you that we are still here to protect you and enforce the rules when needed.
“The easing of restrictions does not mean that lockdown has lifted completely. It is a journey that we are all on, and to enable later restrictions to be lifted in June we must all do our bit to continue to follow the rules now.
Legal limits on the number of people allowed to gather at one time remain in place, social distancing must be maintained, and masks worn in public settings such as shops or public transport to keep yourself and everyone else safe. Let’s continue to be sensible and watch out for each other.”
Meanwhile, to help with keeping cases low, free rapid asymptomatic tests can be ordered at home. Here are the details.
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