Congleton MP Fiona Bruce and Cheshire East Conservatives welcome the opening of the £90m Congleton Link Road, the culmination of the project they launched in 2012.
The 5.5km route opened this weekend for walkers and cyclists before its formal opening for traffic on Monday 19thApril.
Cllr Janet Clowes (Conservative Group Leader) stated:
“I am delighted that this important project has now been delivered. It’s just over two years since Council Leader Cllr Rachel Bailey joined our Congleton MP Fiona Bruce andTransport Minister Jesse Norman MP on site with Leo Martin (managing director of engineering at GRAHAM, to put the first “spade to soil” in February 2019”
We started planning for this project back in 2012, working on designs, routes and the lengthy process of raising the essential funding required. We contributed £24m to the project with the rest of the funding coming from developer contributions and importantly, a successful business case to Government which secured £50m”.
“At the time, this was the largest capital project the Council had put in place and delivering the scheme from concept to commencement in just 7 years, with completion predicted in a further two years, has been a remarkably rapid achievement when such projects usually take upwards of twenty years! Of course, it would not have been possible without the support of our Congleton MP Fiona Bruce, who successfully championed this project with Government!
Completion of the road will now support the provision of a further 3,000 jobs, 2,400 homes and 20h of employment land that will future-proof the development of Congleton for generations to come.
Fiona Bruce MP has also welcomed the completion of the project;
“It is a great pleasure as Member of Parliament for Congleton to celebrate with the community the long-awaited opening of Congleton Link Road. Every month at Transport Questions in the House of Commons, MP after MP stands up to ask for Government funding for a bypass for their town – but only a fraction can ever be granted which is why we are celebrating today. This event, which, with its major investment of £50m funding from national government, signifies the confidence that Government has in the future of Congleton, not only as a place with a high quality of life and strong local community but also as an area of clear economic and jobs potential, and future growth.
I pay tribute to all those who made the case to national government for this Link Road – Councillors, Council Officers, residents, the business-people of the Congleton area, and the strong commitment and sheer hard work of all those involved who have made this happen from initial concept to the reality we see today.
I am hopeful that over time. thousands of local people will benefit in their daily lives, School pupils walking to school and residents out and about for work and leisure will be safer with fewer cars, fewer lorries and fewer accidents on local roads. The air they breathe will be cleaner and higher air quality will particularly benefit residents living nearby.
I hope too, that reduced congestion will encourage much needed support, (now that lockdown restrictions are easing), for businesses in our high street and I encourage everyone to shop locally in the town centre, which has been much improved recently by the innovative work of Congleton Town Council. Finally, for those choosing to come and live here in Congleton, all will benefit when on route to school and work by the shorter and easier commuting routes. This is a day to really celebrate - the opening of Congleton Link Road is a tangible sign of Congleton’s positive future for all who live or work here.”