Virtual Lancaster

Cheery: Ground breaking for the new road: MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood Eric Ollerenshaw, Lancaster City Council leader Eileen Blamire, City Councillor Janice Hanson, County Councillor Jenny Mein, leader of Lancashire County Council, Jo Turton, interim chief executive Lancashire County Council, Darren James, managing director for infrastructure Costain, and County Councillor John Fillis. Photo: Lancashire County Council

The leader of Lancashire County Council set construction of the £124 million Heysham
to M6 Link Road officially underway during a ground-breaking ceremony on
Monday 3rd February.

County Councillor Jenny Mein put a spade in the earth where the road
will run from a re-modelled Junction 34 near to the Halton Training
Camp, part of which is currently serving as a depot for staff and
equipment.

She said: “We’re very proud of Lancashire County Council’s long
history of road building – we were home to the first ever section of
motorway when the Preston bypass opened in 1958.

Dreary: Trees and greenbelt already destroyed in preparatory work for the road near Halton Army Camp before the ground breaking. Photo: Terran Brown

“I’m very pleased we’re now underway with this link to the Morecambe
and Heysham peninsula which will become a great example of how
investment in better infrastructure can benefit not just communities in
the immediate vicinity, but right across the county.

Once again the County Council leader repeated the organisations’s justification for the costly and controversial road, saying “It will reduce congestion and create local jobs by improving travel
to Heysham and Morecambe, and the port, power stations and nearby
employment areas.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have
supported this scheme over the years, including local county councillors
and MPs, the Chamber of Commerce, the Highways Agency, Department for
Transport, local businesses including Peel Ports, Seatruck and local
haulage companies, local residents and members and officers of Lancaster
City Council.

“Our own staff from teams across the county council have also worked
long and hard, overcoming many disappointments and setbacks, to get us
to this point.

“We’re very grateful for the invaluable help and support of all those who have succeeded in making the link road a reality.”

Councillor Eileen Blamire, leader of Lancaster City Council, said:
“The city council’s Core Strategy, which was approved in 2008, supports
the M6 link and the significant benefits it will bring to our district.

“As well as improving the district’s attractiveness to investors and
creating new opportunities for growth, the improved accessibility it
brings will also aid regeneration in some of the district’s more
deprived areas.”

Andrew Langley, project manager Costain, said: “It’s great the
scheme has now started, we must now ensure we deliver this challenging
scheme safely and to the highest quality.

“The scheme’s mission statement is to deliver the Heysham to M6 Link
Road leaving a lasting legacy. We’re engaging with key stakeholders and
local businesses to achieve this objective.”

Costain has a target to train and employ 100 local unemployed people, with 30 people already having gained jobs.

The £124m scheme is scheduled to open in summer 2016.

Let’s hope the “lasting legacy” is as good as the County claims. We remain, as ever, sceptical.