Lincoln bypass new inquiry faces objectors

The bypass would effectively close Hawthorn Road as a route into the city for cars

A new £92m Eastern Bypass for Lincoln is vital for the local economy, a public inquiry has been told.

Previous plans to link the A158 Wragby Road with the A15 Sleaford Road were rejected by the government in 2014 due to safety concerns over a bridge.

The first day of a second inquiry heard the county council say the scheme would open up land for housing and industry.

But some residents have objected to the plan and are expected to demand the rejected road bridge is reinstated.

The much-debated bypass survived government spending reviews but only in a reduced form.

Sharon Edwards, BBC Radio Lincolnshire Political Reporter

Day one of the public inquiry and the sense of frustration and anger from both sides is already palpable.

The 50 members of the public who filed into the inquiry today are not objecting to the scheme itself.

But the sticking point is the matter of Hawthorn Road, which runs between one of Lincoln's feeder routes and the outlying villages of Cherry Willingham, Reepham and Fiskerton. The bypass would cut it in two.

Whatever happens, both sides acknowledge that this is their last chance to prevail.

The council is hoping it can do so while the government funding is still on the table.

One change was to replace a planned road bridge on Hawthorn Road with a pedestrian bridge, making vehicle access into the city from nearby villages less direct.

In the event, it was access to this bridge for horses and cyclists which caused the plans to be rejected by the first inquiry in July 2014.

The bridge has been redesigned but will still not take motor traffic. Campaign groups have been formed to both support and oppose this part of the project.

Richard Davies, county council portfolio holder for highways, said: "This is a great scheme for Lincoln but everybody is right to come forward with their concerns and arguments.

"But you can't keep everyone happy and we designed the scheme as carefully and safely as we can and it has been before an independent inspector who agreed with us over those big decisions."