Opposition sees A16 Kirton roundabout changes abandoned

Lincolnshire County Council had faced criticism over planned changes to the roundabout at Kirton

Plans to turn a Lincolnshire roundabout into a crossroads have been dropped by the county council after a series of objections.

The authority had wanted to create a fully-signalised crossroads on the A16 at Kirton, near Boston.

People living nearby said they feared it would have increased speeding, standing traffic and air pollution.

The council said the £5m funding set aside for the scheme would be used to offset rising costs on other projects.

The plans had been one of several A16 schemes to be funded by £20 million from the government's Levelling Up scheme.

It would have included the construction of a crossroads with traffic signals and the widening of a length of both A16 approaches.

Councillor Peter Watson said the result was a "pleasing outcome" for local democracy

Parish councils in the area had organised a non-binding referendum on the project in December which saw a majority of residents oppose the plan

Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "In light of the opposition we've had from the local parish, we've been speaking to the Department for Transport (DFT) for the past four months and they've recently agreed to let us use the £5m allocated to Kirton to help offset the increased costs of our other Levelling Up projects due to inflation."

Kirton and Frampton ward councillor Peter Watson, who had campaigned against the changes, said he had not had any official confirmation, but if it were the case it would be a "very pleasing outcome for democracy for local residents".