Unused HS2 cash could be used to finish Melton bypass, say campaigners

The council says the new bypass will relieve traffic congestion in the town centre

Unspent HS2 cash should be used to finish the final part of a new road in Leicestershire, campaigners have said.

The idea of a bypass around Melton Mowbray has been a political ambition as far back as the 1980s.

In 2022, the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road was approved to connect the A606 to the north with the A607 to the south, via the east of the town.

Construction began last year but the southern section of the plan has been paused.

The £115m north and east sections are due to be completed in 2025.

The southern section of the plan was put on hold after a Leicestershire County Council report said £27m of increased costs made it unviable.

Leicestershire has since been allocated £238m of reallocated HS2 funding in the wake of the rail project's scrapping.

It will be given this money between 2025 and 2032 for transport improvement schemes - which could range from mending potholes to building entirely new roads.

Annual amounts have yet to be confirmed, but already campaigners are pushing for this money to be spent on finishing the bypass around Melton.

Alicia Kearns is a big advocate of funding the road

Melton and Rutland MP Alicia Kearns has previously spoken about the benefits the distributor road would bring.

She said: "I'm going to work with my colleagues to work out what should the priorities be, for example building the rest of the MMDR in Melton. I will be fighting for that one."

Pip Allnatt, leader of Melton Borough Council, said: "The news of additional funding for roads and transport in Leicestershire is timely and I would welcome any discussion with Leicestershire County Council regarding the southern link of the distributor road."

The county council is readying initial proposals for how to spend the money, to bring to its cabinet in the next month.

Councillor Ozzy O'Shea, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We'll have to wait for guidance from the government for more detail, and on how much we'll receive each year during the seven-year period, while being aware we expect the allocations to be lower in the earlier years.

"We must also consider other priorities across the county which we might want to deliver with this funding."