February 26, 2019 11.59 am This story is over 60 months old

Compulsory purchases “fall back position” for A46 roundabout

Works meant to fix accident blackspot

A back-up plan to use Compulsory Purchase Orders to buy land for a new roundabout on the A46 north of Lincoln should talks not succeed could be put in place by senior councillors next week.

Lincolnshire County Council’s executive is set to agree to plans to allow the authority to purchase land from two farmers and a commercial premises in order to build the new structure at the A46 Welton and Dunholme which was approved last February.

The move will enable the creation of the roundabout, plus new access points to the businesses which front the A46 at the site.

The Welton t-junction with the A46. Photo: The Lincolnite

A report due to go before the councillors says: “Discussions to obtain land by agreement have begun and are progressing and the county council may not need to rely upon its compulsory purchase power to acquire the land.

“However should any issues arise with purchasing by agreement, the county council will have the fall back position of utilising these powers should the need arise, which is the only way to guarantee the scheme can be built.”

In order to make such an order, the council needs to prove there is a case in the public interest to justify it, which it says this scheme has.

It’s hoped a new roundabout would reduce the number of collisions at the T junction.

The current t-junction is known as an accident blackspot with over 30 crashes causing injury in the last five years, plus hundreds of non-reported incidents.

The county council hopes the new roundabout will improve visibility and alleviate congestion, thus reducing the probability of crashes.

Construction of the roundabout will take between nine and 12 months to complete and is expected to be open for use by 2020.

The county council was awarded £2 million of funding from the Department for Transport towards the scheme after loud calls were made for road safety improvements at the junction from council leader Martin Hill and Gainsborough MP Sir Edward Leigh.

The A46 and part of Lincoln Road will be realigned as part of the scheme.