Gloucestershire transport schemes get £14m funding

Only 75% of the available funds are being used

Almost £14million has been allocated to motorway improvements and other major transport schemes in Gloucestershire.

Council leaders from Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury Borough have agreed to allocate funding from fees earned from developments.

The Joint Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) will raise £13.7M that will be spent on six major schemes - including the M5 Junction 10 scheme and cycle routes around the county.

The Junction 10 Scheme will receive up to £10m while the M5 junction 9 and A46 Ashchurch transport scheme will receive £1m.

The county's mass rapid transport scheme has been allocated £1m while an expansion to the Honeybourne Line cycle path in Cheltenham will be allocated £770,424 and the extension of the Cheltenham cycle spine to Bishop's Cleeve will receive £592,856.

The Gloucester to Haresfield Cycle Spine Design has been allocated £400,000.

"There's a mix of projects that are going to come forward quicker and others which are for the long term but are complimentary to strategic local plans" said leader of Tewkesbury Borough Council Richard Stanley.

"It makes sense that we support projects that are then going to help us to deliver the strategic local plan for our areas."

Councillor David Gray, speaking on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council, said it was "so positive" that the districts are working together with Shire Hall.

"We are trying our best to deliver this infrastructure and we believe it will have those positive benefits not just for visitors but for our own community," he said.

The current scheme accounts for 75% of the money raised through the CIL - with the remaining 25% being ringfenced for projects the district leaders consider being of local strategic significance.