A woman forced to give up her home for a dual-carriageway expansion that is now likely to among those shelved has described the project as a “criminal waste of taxpayers’ money”. The story highlights the often unseen impact that such decisions can have on people’s lives.
Gail Roberts was the last remaining resident of Queensway in Derby after her house was one 15 included in a compulsory purchase order to make way for the A38 upgrade, reports the BBC. However, in June, the government announced the road project was among several it planned to halt to pay for increased defence spending.
“It just beggars belief how much money the government can waste – it’s shocking,” Roberts said.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it needed to provide savings of up to £700 million from road projects to boost defence spending and the A38 Derby Junctions and A46 Newark Bypass schemes were “yet to enter contract and not as far along as other road schemes”.
East Midlands mayor, Claire Ward, said the government’s decision was “completely unacceptable” and on recent visit to Derbyshire, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would “not abandon the ambition” of the A38 project.
Mrs Roberts moved into her four-bedroom house in 2011 and spent two years renovating the property with her husband. In 2012, the couple first heard about the A38 proposals and were given a compulsory purchase order in 2021. Many of her neighbours accepted it and moved out, leaving her “stuck in a lovely house in a derelict street”.
She said the two-year dispute over the value of the house was “absolutely infuriating”, with the Roberts eventually accepting £40,000 less than an independent valuation she had been given.
“I’ve lost so many years of my life to this, to the point where I was in hospital,” she said. Roberts added that she was “appalled but not surprised” by the decision.
“I always had an inkling that it wouldn’t actually go through, because the public consultations have gone on and on and on,” she said.
The Stop the A38 Expansion Group has called for the properties to be restored and returned to use should the scheme be officially scrapped.
Meanwhile East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward has refuted claims that Prime Minister Andy Burnham has “fobbed off her” calls to rethink two the scrapping of two major infrastructure projects in her region, including the A38 expansion.
“I don’t think [the prime minister’s response was] fobbing off,” she told the BBC. “I do think there’s more conversation to be had. I’ve made it really clear to him and to those around him that I will continue to campaign and argue for the A38 and the A46.
“I will, as Andy suggests, continue to engage with Number 10 North about why this is important for our region.
“My argument is [funding for defence] should not be stripped out of two road schemes, the only two road schemes in the country that are impacted, and those are both in the East Midlands region.
“We’ve got a process at the moment which is that there is a consultation that the Department for Transport are going to conduct on this. We will be making a very strong case.
“We know that we are historically the lowest funded of any region when it comes to transport and infrastructure, and we can’t carry on like that.”
(Picture: National Highways)
