West Northamptonshire Council to borrow £20m to build relief road

West Northamptonshire Council will borrow £20m to allow the Northampton North-West Relief Road to be completed

A council has approved plans to borrow £20m to complete a relief road after a bid for government funding was unsuccessful.

Conservative-run West Northamptonshire Council will use the money for Northampton's North-West Relief Road.

The scheme will cost a total of £54.5m, but only £32.5m had been allocated. The council itself will contribute £1.95m.

Councillor Phil Larratt said the road was "required to facilitate development to the north of Northampton".

The relief road project - which has been in the pipeline for more than 30 years - will link the A428 Harlestone Road with the A5199 Welford Road.

It was granted planning consent in September 2020 and work is due to be completed by autumn 2023.

'Only way forward'

The council applied for £20m from the government's levelling up fund, but council papers revealed that was unsuccessful.

Mr Larratt, portfolio holder for climate, transport, highways and waste services, said: "It was disappointing that our bid for funding was unsuccessful, as we felt we'd put together a very robust case.

"We do not take the decision to borrow this money lightly, but after thoroughly examining all of the options we feel this is the only way forward in order for the scheme to go ahead."