Grantham Southern Bypass work begins '40 years' after plans mooted

The relief road will link the A1 to the A52 to the south of Grantham

Work has started on a town's bypass "40 years" after plans were first mooted.

Lincolnshire county councillor Richard Davies said a southern relief road for Grantham was talked about in the 1970s when the nearby A1 bypass was built.

The Southern Bypass was approved in 2013 but was delayed by a failed legal challenge from a developer planning to build 3,700 homes nearby.

The road, which will link the A1 and A52, should be completed in 2019.

Construction staff have moved on to the site ready to start the £3.6m contract to build the first section.

Traffic problems have increased in Grantham since the A1 bypass was built in the 1970s

Conservative Mr Davies said the project was "desperately needed".

"People have talked about this since the 1970s when the A1 bypass was put in place," he said.

"There's been a lot of promises and a lot of talk, so it's great to be seeing some action on the ground now."

Plans for the relief road were approved by South Kesteven District Council two years ago but Larkfleet Homes, which had its plans to build the Buckminster Estate approved around the same time, argued the environmental impact of the two schemes should have been considered together.

However, the Court of Appeal found there was a strong case to build the road even if the houses were not built.

Earlier this year it was suggested the bypass should be named after former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who was born in Grantham.