Four options for a new relief road for Whittlesey are to be shown to residents next month which, if built, could ease congestion in the town centre. Consultants will unveil the options at a series of public exhibitions when the four possible routes will be unveiled.
Various reports in recent years have suggested a new relief road from Coates to the Morrisons / Cardea roundabout.
This would enable HGVs to access industrial sites from the east rather than adding to the congestion of residential routes, particularly along Inhams Road and Station Road.
Cllr Chris Boden, who lives in Whittlesey and is also leader of Fenland District Council, has long campaigned for a relief road which he says stems from the Fenland Local Plan that proposed Whittlesey should have a further 11,000 homes by 2031.
(EDITOR NOTE: The above remark was taken from archive coverage not fact checked. The Local Plan of 2014 says the aim is to “build 11,000 new homes between now and 2031, with large new housing areas on the edge of Wisbech, March, Chatteris and Whittlesey”.
It regarded a relief road as vital and suggested a 12km route south of south of the A605.
With no obvious enthusiasm elsewhere for the relief road to be considered, Cllr Boden persuaded Whittlesey town council to begin a process that could culminate in the project eventually being added to it being taken on by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
In 2021 the town council funded initial study looked at two main questions:
- What is the case for a Whittlesey Relief Road? “What are the benefits produced by the scheme”
- How strong is the case likely to be? “Is it likely to represent Value for Money
The report concluded there was a “sound strategic case” for a relief road which offered a “reasonable prospect” of being value for money. The report noted some engineering challenges such as flood risk, railway crossing and could be dependent on future development locally.
It provided the green light for the next stage, which was the appointment of consultants Mott MacDonald to develop a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for the road.
This is a crucial piece of work to examine a range of transport solutions, assess whether the relief road is the best option to push forward – and be used to help secure government funding to make it happen.
The £260k cost was paid for by the Combined Authority out of its Market Towns Programme which had, under former mayor James Palmer, awarded Cambridgeshire towns £1m each.
Whittlesey had originally earmarked half of this for a Whittlesey Heritage Centre (£500,000) to house artefacts from Must Farm archaeological finds, but it would also have included exhibition space and areas for indoor events and a coffee shop.
The Must Farm excavation site between Peterborough and Whittlesey is where archaeologists uncovered one of the best-preserved settlements dating to the Late Bronze Age (1000 – 800BC).
However, the proposals were dropped, and when the dust had settled £255,750 allocated to Whittlesey remained and it was then agreed to use this to progress the relief road.
Not all local councillors were happy but the request to use this money for a relief road study came from the Growing Fenland Team (GFT) in Whittlesey and then taken on Fenland Council.
The rest they say is history, and a relief road is now uppermost in many people’s minds.
And residents get the chance to look at these latest proposals for a relief road at a series of events next month.
Consultation materials will be available to view at Whittlesey Town Council offices throughout the consultation, which runs from Wednesday 23 October to Friday 22 November.
There will also be two in-person consultation events, and an online event.
For more information and to share your views, visit: www.fenland.gov.uk/WRRConsultation
Cllr Chris Seaton, Fenland District Council’s portfolio holder for transport and chair of the Whittlesey Relief Road project, said: “This is a vital project for Whittlesey, Fenland as a whole and the wider region too.
“Growing traffic challenges are a daily frustration for many and a barrier to the future prosperity of the area too.
“This consultation is a key part of the project board’s commitment to ensuring the voice of the Whittlesey community is heard and that the final options reflect the needs of everyone concerned.
“We encourage as many people as possible to participate and share their views.”
A spokesperson for Fenland Council said consultants Mott MacDonald had been working since last October “to evidence the need for a relief road and drive the project forward.
“Since October 2023, the consultants have been working with officers from Fenland District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, the Environment Agency and various transport providers to review existing transport data and evidence, set out the issues Whittlesey faces and look at options that may resolve or help to resolve those issues.
“Now the project work to date and a shortlist of four options is being put out to public consultation.”
The council spokesperson says that feedback on the options “will be used to inform the final option designs for inclusion in the Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) which will be completed in early 2025.”
Cllr Boden said: “Whittlesey residents have waited many years for this to come to fruition and although there are many more stages to overcome, as is the case with large infrastructure projects, this is a step in the right direction.
“The public consultation and ongoing SOBC work will help to ensure that we make an evidence-based decision about the right transport solution for Whittlesey’s needs.”
Have your say
View the consultation materials and take part in the consultation survey at: www.fenland.gov.uk/WRRConsultation.
Consultation materials will also be available to view at Whittlesey Town Council offices at Peel House, 8 Queen Street, Whittlesey, PE7 1AY, throughout the consultation period. The offices are open between 9.30am and 1pm, Monday to Friday (closed Saturdays and Sundays).
There will also be three public consultation events:
- In person: Friday 25 October, 8am to 12noon, at Whittlesey Town Council offices, Peel House, 8 Queen Street, Whittlesey, PE7 1AY.
- In person: Saturday 9 November, 10am to 3pm, at Aldi supermarket, Eastrea Road, Eastrea, PE7 2AE.
- Online: Tuesday 12 November, 6pm to 8pm, online via Microsoft Teams. Email transportandaccess@fenland.gov.uk to book your place.
Anyone unable to access the survey online or attend an event can:
- Email their views to the Transport team at Fenland District Council at: transportandaccess@fenland.gov.uk.
- Telephone the team on 01354 622445.
- Pick up a printed copy of the survey from Whittlesey Town Council offices, Peel House, 8 Queen Street, Whittlesey, PE7 1AY.
Cllr Boden has previously stated a preference for a southern relief road.
“Although a northern relief road, at 6km, would be only half the length of a southern relief road (12km), a southern relief road at first sight appears to be a better bet because it would avoid the Whittlesey Washes and because it would better serve the Whittlesey industrial estate,” he said.
Deputy Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Cllr Anna Smith said: “One of the main benefits of devolution is ensuring that decisions are made closer to the people affected by them.
“I am therefore delighted that our funding will help Whittlesey residents to make an evidence-based decision about the right transport solution for their needs, building community and helping build prosperity.”
