Blyth Relief Road

Project Update - July 2023

Background

The town of Blyth plays a key role in the regional economy, with the £70 million ‘Energising Blyth’ programme of investment aimed at making Blyth a thriving UK and international centre of renewable energy and advanced manufacturing growth and innovation. The proposed investment presents a real opportunity to grow the economy of Blyth and the wider area.

To ensure this economic growth becomes reality, it is essential that the links are in place to ensure the safe and efficient movement of people and goods and to facilitate more sustainable transport solutions, such as improved walking and cycling links and better access to the proposed Northumberland Line railway stations.

Northumberland County Council has been aware of traffic problems entering and leaving Blyth for several years. The two main roads into Blyth, the A193 Cowpen Road and A1061 Laverock Hall Road are heavily congested with over 20,000 vehicles a day on each road. In the long term, an increase in traffic is expected across the Blyth network associated with the delivery of the Local Plan. The transport network, in its current form, does not have the available capacity to accommodate this growth.

Congestion adversely affects the economic potential of the area, the movement of people and goods, particularly to and from the Port of Blyth, and has a harmful effect upon the environment through exhaust emissions from vehicles. The reliability of buses is also affected, particularly during peak hours, with the existing roads into Blyth highlighted by bus operators as causing delays to services. Congested roads also impact on the attractiveness of Blyth as a place to walk and cycle.

A new relief road - the realignment and dualling of the existing A1061 Laverock Hall Road to provide a direct dual carriageway connection between the A192 Three Horseshoes Roundabout and the A193 South Beach, has been identified as a means to relieve this congestion and facilitate the economic growth of the town. A new complementary link is also proposed between Chase Farm Drive and Ogle Drive, also joining up with Tynedale Drive.

Being part of the Major Road Network (MRN), the middle tier of the country’s busiest and most economically important local authority ‘A’ roads, the Blyth Relief Road is eligible to access the National Roads Fund (NRF) which is expected to be spent nationally on major improvement schemes on those local roads designated as part of the MRN.

 

The Outline Business Case (OBC) for the scheme has been submitted to the Department of Transport for approval. The OBC demonstrates high value for money and that the following four strategic objects will be achieved by the scheme:

•  Journey time reliability: Improved journey time reliability across the local highway network in Blyth, particularly along the A193 Cowpen Road and the A1061. This will enable local bus services to better stick to published timetables.
• Road safety: Reduced road traffic accidents amongst all vehicle users on the local highway network in Blyth helping to create a more attractive environment for travel by sustainable modes.
• Air quality: Improved air quality in Blyth by reducing traffic congestion; and
• Development: Facilitates economic and housing development by removing barriers to growth.

The county council continues to respond to comments received from the Department for Transport with a view to receiving final approval of the business case in the coming weeks.

The preliminary design of the road alignment is complete, and the proposed junctions have been assessed.

The footpaths and cycleways have also been incorporated into the design with connections to the existing network. Landscaping proposals are being prepared and the drainage requirements are being reviewed. 

Plans of the proposed scheme as it stands can be found here and here. Further information will be shared when available.
 

The Screening Opinion has been received from Planning and the Environmental Statement is being prepared.

The ecology surveys are being carried out at present, air quality monitoring equipment has been deployed and noise measurement will commence shortly. Once the Environmental Statement is complete, we aim to submit the Planning Application for the scheme in February 2024.

A stakeholder event was held back in the Summer of 2022 as part of the Blyth showcase event which presented a range of project proposals across the town.

Useful feedback on the relief road was received at this event which has been reflected in the revised designs.

A further stakeholder event is now programmed for the Autumn of 2023 to share the current designs for comments from key stakeholders. Further details will be widely shared nearer the time.

The current timeline for the scheme is as follows:

• Planning Application - Feb 2024
• Planning Approval – August 2024
• DfT Full Business Case – September 2024
• Start construction - early 2025
• Scheme completion – spring 2026

We are holding a public consultation on the preferred route for the proposed Blyth Relief Road scheme. This statutory public consultation will run for 6 weeks from Monday 30 October to Monday 11 December 2023 and will help inform the upcoming planning application.

During the consultation period you will be able to view the preferred route for the road and provide your feedback, either during one of the 4 consultation events or via the online scheme webpage.

To view the preferred route and provide your feedback, please visit our consultation webpage from Monday 30 October to 11 December 2023
You can also view a visual 'fly through' of the project on the council's You Tube channel

We’re using community venues to give you the opportunity to speak to members of the project team about the proposed scheme and leave your feedback. The events are:

Location	Day	Time
Bede Academy, Sixth Avenue, Blyth, NE24 2SY	Thursday 2 November	16:00 – 19:30
Bede Academy, Sixth Avenue, Blyth, NE24 2SY	Friday 3 November	12:00 – 16:00
Community Centre. South Beach Residents Association, Blyth, NE24 3RJ	Thursday 23 November	16:00 – 19:30
Community Centre. South Beach Residents Association, Blyth, NE24 3RJ	Saturday 25 November	12:00 – 16:00

Printed copies of our consultation materials and consultation feedback form or accessible copies are available at consultation events or by getting in touch by telephone or email, using the following details:

Mail to: FREEPOST NCC BRR Consultation
Email: blythreliefroad@mottmac.com
Tel direct: 0161 552 8016 (9am to 5pm Mon to Fri)