Proposed Kettering A14 junction scheme will be looked at 'very favourably', says minister

A proposal to create a new £40m junction on the A14 near Kettering will be looked at ‘very favourably’, the Government’s roads minister has promised.

Richard Holden made the assurance during a debate in Parliament after being pressed for a commitment to funding Junction 10A, between Barton Seagrave and Cranford.

Kettering MP Philip Hollobone warned that the area could grind to a halt if it is not built because of extra traffic generated by the Hanwood Park development.

And, urging the Government to commit to funding it now, the Conservative said house-building at Hanwood Park could be paused if the junction is not ready by 2026.

Speaking in Westminster Hall last week, Mr Hollobone said: "For local people, the tragedy is that we could have had as many as 2,700 new homes already built by 2026 without the necessary road infrastructure to take us beyond that level.

"That presents the real risk of gridlock in the town of Kettering, with initial houses already provided but with the Government not coming up with their share of the funding for the new Junction 10A.

"My plea to the roads minister today, on behalf of local people in Kettering, is that he recognises the fundamental importance of the new junction to people in the local area and that the Government make the commitment to fund it that we badly need.”

In response, Mr Holden said the scheme was one of more than 30 major projects being considered for RIS3, the Government’s all-important strategy for major road investment between 2025 and 2030.

He said decisions on which schemes would be included would not be made until 2024 – but indicated that the A14 proposal stood a very good chance.

He said: "I am sure that my honourable friend will continue to press the case for the scheme on behalf of his constituents and the businesses that he serves in his constituency.

"Although I cannot give him the firm commitment that he is naturally after today, given the unique funding nature of the project, the strong local and national economic significance of the A14 and the good benefit-to-cost ratio, the people of Kettering can be assured that it will be looked at very favourably in the funding rounds to come.”

Plans for the new junction have been discussed for years. At one point it had been hoped that work would start in 2021, but its cash allocation was deferred and then it was excluded from RIS2, which determined projects to be funded from 2020 to 2025.

The Department for Transport (DfT) would pledge half of its estimated cost with Hanwood Park developers stumping up the remaining cash.

If it is not included in RIS3 then a planning condition means the Hanwood Park development will have to pause once 2,700 homes are built. Mr Hollobone has warned that this could be in 2026.

He said: "If 2026 is to remain the target date for the delivery of Junction 10A, it requires detailed planning approval to be achieved in 2023 and it requires the requisite procurement to commence concurrently. That can happen with confidence only if there is a definite Government commitment to Junction 10A and a tangible Government commitment to RIS3 funding.”