Town gets green light for £13.4m link road

The government has given the go-ahead for a new 1.1km (0.7mile) dual carriageway as part of a major bypass project for a town.

Buckinghamshire Council wants to build the South East Aylesbury Link Road (SEALR), as well as providing walking and cycling routes.

The government has approved the scheme and will contribute £13.4m towards the link road, which is part of an ongoing £147m bypass project.

Future of Roads minister Lilian Greenwood said the project would "improve local journeys in Buckinghamshire and boost the economy beyond".

"Traffic around Aylesbury has been too slow for too long, producing air pollution in the town centre and discouraging people from using local buses," she added.

The dual carriageway will connect to the proposed Southern Link Road through the Hampden Fields development.

A road bridge will also be built crossing the Aylesbury to London railway line.

The link road has been described as essential to enable further housing development, which could see 1,000 new homes added to the area.

Martin Tett, Conservative leader of Buckinghamshire Council, welcomed the news and said: "Once complete, the South East Aylesbury Link Road will form a crucial part of a new orbital link road around Aylesbury, providing a new route around the town, significantly easing congestion through the town centre and delivering new cycling and walking routes.

"The council has worked extremely hard to secure the necessary finance to deliver this crucial infrastructure for the county, which has also seen us successfully secure contributions from Homes England, HS2 Ltd and nearby developments."

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