Plans to improve congestion issues off the M1 in Nottinghamshire, including a potential new junction in a bid to alleviate delays, are to be assessed by Erewash Borough Council.
At a meeting last week cross-party approval saw both the Labour administration and Conservative opposition support plans aimed at improving congestion through Sandiacre, Stanton by Dale and Long Eaton, says West Bridgford Wire.
The council agreed to spend up to £80,000 commissioning an economic appraisal of the options to improve access to former Stanton Ironworks, New Stanton Park, including the option of a new junction on the M1 at the Lows Lane underpass, to be dubbed Junction 25a.
Currently, large amounts of heavy traffic is said to leave the M1 at Sandiacre Interchange at Junction 25 leading through the outskirts of Sandiacre, followed by the small village of Stanton by Dale, to reach an industrial complex south of Ilkeston, either side of Lows Lane.
This expansive industrial area includes the 200-acre redevelopment of the former ironworks to create 5,000 jobs, also leading to 660,650 extra vehicle movements per year.
Many residents in the surrounding area, including through Ilkeston, have already noted a spike in HGV traffic with only a small number of industrial buildings, along with Starbucks and McDonald’s, currently operational on the 200-acre plot.
Cllr Wayne Major, Conservative opposition leader, led the call for a council-backed study, saying:
“We believe that improving access could both unlock economic potential at New Stanton Park by improving access, attracting investment, and creating employment opportunities, and could alleviate traffic pressure benefiting both local businesses and residents alike.”
Cllr James Dawson, Labour council leader, supported the pitch, saying the New Stanton Park development was the “most significant economic opportunity in the East Midlands” and sought the support of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA).
He said: “If we are serious about New Stanton Park we need to be serious about people visiting the site easily without affecting residents nearby.
“The study may show that a new junction is not the right choice, it could be a new link road or an improved railhead, but we need that evidence base to form the basis of negotiations with the Government and the EMCCA.”
He added that improvements to access are essential “for the wider benefit of the community and for the investment in economic growth and our future prosperity”.
(Picture: Mapillary)
