Work begins to transform Telford's roads as £75 million deal is signed

Graham Wynn OBE made the announcement after £75 million of Government funding was officially secured at a ceremony yesterday.

The Telford growth point programme will see £12 million handed over to allow road junctions to be redesigned at Trench Lock, Clock Tower, Shawbirch, Ketley Brook, Limekiln and Randlay, freeing up additional land for housing at Hortonwood, Muxton, and Shawbirch.

The project is the first of seven which will get into gear using the Government cash pot. It was officially signed over to the Marches LEP by Cities and Universities Minister Greg Clark in a ceremony at Harper Adams University, near Newport, yesterday.

Mr Wynn said: "Work has already started. Officers have been assured the money is coming."

The event was also attended by council leaders Keith Barrow and Kuldip Sahota, plus Graham Wynn, chairman of the Marches LEP.

Work on the first scheme, a multi-million pound package of junction upgrades around Telford, has already begun, with two more in Telford and two in Shropshire lined up to get under way next year, with completion on all but one in 2017.

It is hoped that the finance package will ultimately boost the economy and help to create 16,000 new jobs and encourage the construction of 9,000 new homes.

Negotiations over a second round of funding are already under way, while the Government is also backing a Marches Investment Fund which will allow money raised through local developments to be reinvested in the local economy.

Mr Clark said: "I have a particular enthusiasm for the proposals here as this is an area that is predominantly rural, and this has brought together the needs of the rural community as well as the urban places.

"I dare say that Shropshire Star readers will find getting around the area one of the things that gets in the way of further business success, so I think it's right that the LEP has put forward congestion bottlenecks as high priorities on their list."

Each of the schemes is aimed at making the surrounding land accessible for private investment, such as on the T54 site in eastern Telford, where 31 hectares of land could be developed for businesses.

A £10 million shake-up of the road system is also earmarked for Shrewsbury, using £2.43 million of the Government pot, affecting parking, signage, and six junctions on the town's inner ring road. The Oxon Link Road will be built, potentially paving the way for the long-awaited western bypass.

Mr Wynn said: "Today's signing ceremony is a major milestone for the Marches LEP. We are making excellent progress with the delivery of growth deal one already. This investment package will allow great progress to be made on key infrastructure projects, some of which are already under way, across our three urban centres, creating thousands of jobs and homes."