Important step forward for relief road
THE campaign for a Beccles southern relief road has taken an important step forward as Suffolk County Council confirmed that a feasibility study would be taking place.
THE campaign for a Beccles southern relief road has taken an important step forward as Suffolk County Council confirmed that a feasibility study would be taking place.
Guy McGregor, county council portfolio holder for roads and transport, confirmed that funding had been secured for the study, which would assess the viability of building a road to the south of the A145 level crossing.
The study represents significant progress in a campaign that has been running for years to try to divert HGVs out of Beccles town centre.
At a meeting with the Beccles branch of Save Our Rural Roads (SORR), which includes representatives from local councils, Mr McGregor and county councillor for Beccles, John Taylor, presented drawings of a potential route.
Mr McGregor said that a public consultation on the options available following the study would take place in the autumn.
He added that he was confident of the road being built.
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He said he believed that funding from county council budgets and other sources would be made available because the link road would benefit local businesses and improve the quality of life for people in and around Beccles.
'I'm confident that the county council would recognise the need for such a scheme,' he said.
'I'm aware of the needs of the small market towns and I think that the vitality of our market towns is very, very important.'
John Sayer, chairman of the Beccles branch of SORR, was positive about the progress.
He said: 'SORR sees this study as a tangible step toward the goal of freeing Beccles town centre and all the local villages from the damage caused by HGV traffic.
'In addition, by carrying out the study, our county councillors demonstrate not only their awareness of local problems but also their determination to resolve them.'
