Compulsory purchase order plan for new link road

Landowners and farmers could be forced to sell 129 acres of open land to make way for a £70m link road in Derbyshire.

Derbyshire County Council is set to agree to the compulsory purchase of the land for the new link road between Stenson Fields, Sinfin, Chellaston and the A50, which will require a new junction off the A50.

The road is part of the infrastructure planned to help accommodate extra traffic created by 4,500 planned new homes and an expansion of the Infinity Park business estate.

A local authority report claims the new road would help cut carbon emissions by reducing congestion on other junctions along the A50.

Negotiations with the landowners about the compulsory purchases are ongoing, according to a report to the East Midlands Combined County Authority.

Work on the project is due to start this month and is estimated to be completed by March 2029.

However, the cost of the scheme has almost doubled from £37.5m when the link road project was granted planning permission in 2021, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The government has increased its share of funding for the scheme to £49.6m which needs to be claimed by the county council by March 2026 or it could be withdrawn.

However, discussions are ongoing to secure an extension to the March 2026 deadline if needed, and the council has the option to scrap the entire project if the the government funding is withdrawn.

The report states: "A challenging delivery timescale for the scheme requires that alternative arrangements are made through making compulsory purchase orders."

It adds: "The scheme has purposefully been designed to unlock the region to the south of Derby known as the Infinity Garden Village and to stimulate economic growth by facilitating much-needed housing and commercial development across South Derbyshire and into the wider area."

The £150m expansion of Infinity Park was granted planning permission in 2023 with a new hotel, pub, drive through cafe and office buildings, which aim to create 3,000 jobs.

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