Gloucestershire: Developer help sought to plug £81m gap in M5 junction plan

The improvements would provide access in all directions, on and off the motorway

Highways bosses are hoping to plug a £81.1m funding gap for M5 improvements through developer contributions.

The £334m improvements to junction 10 will help unlock housing and employment sites and would provide access in all directions, on and off the motorway.

At the moment, motorists can only use the junction to come off the M5 southbound or join the M5 northbound.

Around £249m has been secured through housing infrastructure funding and £4m from Gloucestershire County Council.

The authority has said it is working with scheme funders Homes England and Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury planning authorities to identify developments and how much contribution should be sought from each one.

The scheme also includes a new link road connecting the A4019 to the B4634 in west Cheltenham and widening of the A4019 Tewkesbury Road, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The county council hopes to secure the funding from earmarked development sites near junction 10, such as the 4,100-home Elms Park development north west of Cheltenham and the Golden Valley scheme - which is expected to create 12,000 new jobs and 3,700 houses near GCHQ.

Cabinet is expected to confirm this week its intention to raise funds by requesting section 106 contributions from developers.

These are legal agreements made between councils and developers to ensure they contribute money to mitigate the impact of development, such as road improvements, cycling infrastructure, tree planting or creating public space.