Ashbourne link road for airfield development site to open

The road will form a connection to the Ashbourne Airfield Industrial Estate

A link road built to reach development land near Ashbourne is due to open.

The 2,362ft (720m) road, called Harrison Way, will connect the new A52 roundabout to Blenheim Road.

It will run between the Ashbourne Airfield Industrial Estate and a brownfield development site on the former airfield of more than 40 hectares.

Derbyshire Dales District Council said the development was a "hugely significant" regeneration project.

The road's official opening is due to take place on 19 May.

The council said the land would be developed to create a business park, a pub, hotel and around 360 homes on a site called Dales Park.

It hoped the development would create jobs and investment opportunities.

'Key site'

More than 70 companies currently operate on the industrial estate, employing around 2,000 people.

The site, the former RAF Ashbourne air base, was bought in the 1960s by a firm called FW Harrison.

The firm's development arm - FW Harrison Estates Ltd - is helping to fund the project with support from the county council.

Joanne Harrison, director of FW Harrison, said: "Not only does it open up access to land for housing and commercial units, creating and securing jobs for the town, it also eases the bottleneck caused by there only being one access point to the airfield estate."

A Derbyshire Dales District Council spokesperson said: "The development of the former Ashbourne Airfield is a hugely significant regeneration project for the district council.

"The site is key for economic growth in our district, providing much-needed jobs and homes."