Newcastle International Airport backing calls to upgrade notorious roundabout branded ‘choker to growth’
A number of businesses have backed calls to upgrade a notorious Northumberland roundabout, claiming it is holding back growth. It comes as the Government is set to announce plans for the next stage of the Road Investment Strategy in the coming weeks.
Cramlington and Killingworth MP Emma Foody has written to both the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Transport setting out the case for upgrading the Moor Farm Roundabout on the A19. Her letter was co-signed by local businesses and business bodies, showing the importance of the potential investment for the North East’s business community.
Co-signatories included the North East Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle International Airport, the Port of Blyth and firms across Northumberland and North Tyneside including Fergusons Transport, Sterling Pharma Solutions, Renolit, Lynx Precast and Renown Group.
In the letter, Ms Foody wrote: “Moor Farm roundabout currently acts as a choker to growth in the North East, holding back business growth and development due to the constraints that it places on local businesses and additional costs incurred as a result of congestion and delays through the roundabout. Moor Farm is a critical piece of local infrastructure.”
The scheme to upgrade the roundabout has been in the works for a number of years, following schemes at Silverlink and Testo’s Roundabout further down the A19. However, initial assessments branded the multi-million pound project “poor value for money”.
This led to concern that Northumberland would miss out on the sorely-needed improvements. But, the Government’s changes to the Green Book test, which is used by the Treasury to assess the financial viability of schemes, brought renewed optimism that approval would finally be given.
The letter continued: “I welcome the changes to the Green Book that will help rebalance investment opportunities for the North East and the Road Investment Strategy is a crucial opportunity to show how this helps to unlock investment in the North East by backing the upgrades at Moor Farm and unlocking the potential of the North East.”
Ms Foody has been a vocal campaigner for the upgrades, having raised it in parliament on multiple occasions with senior ministers.
She said: “Since being elected, I’ve been relentlessly campaigning for the improvements we need to see at Moor Farm roundabout. Not only does the roundabout cause misery for local people, but it is holding back growth and investment in our communities.
“I’ve met with and heard from many local businesses who have set out how the congestion at Moor Farm not only adds to their costs but is holding back investment in the region due to blocks and conditions applied by National Highways.
“Last month I met with the chancellor and made this case directly and have held meetings with ministers at the Department for Transport and National Highways, including with the North East Mayor. With the Road Investment Strategy due in the coming weeks, I want them to be in no doubt about the importance of this investment for our region.”