The Humble Petition of residents of the Isham area of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and the surrounding areas,
Sheweth,
That for forty years there has been a need for a by-pass of the village of Isham; that the recent increase in housing and traffic has led to the environmental conditions for the residents of the main road in Isham being intolerable; and that the lack of a by-pass has caused unacceptable levels of noise and air pollution, safety issues for pedestrians and motorists and structural damage to properties.
Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House urges the Secretary of State for Transport to liaise with Northamptonshire County Council and the Borough Council of Wellingborough to find a resolution that will lead to the reconsideration of the cancellation of the Isham By-Pass and a high priority given to its construction.
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, &c.—[Presented by Mr Peter Bone, Official Report, 5 April 2011; Vol. 526, c. 1016.]
[P000914]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport:
The proposed A509 Isham bypass, promoted by Northamptonshire county council, was identified as a priority for funding within the previous regional funding allocation funding process. The scheme is proposed to ease congestion on the A590 through Isham by construction of a 4.3km dual carriageway to the west of the village.
The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 10 June 2010 a suspension of activity on major schemes as part of the spending review process. On 26 October 2010 he announced the process for prioritising funding for inherited major schemes following the outcome of the spending review. The Isham bypass was placed in the “Pre-Qualification Pool” of schemes on which a preliminary assessment would be undertaken following receipt of a revised funding offer, which was subsequently received from Northamptonshire county council. On 4 February the Secretary of State for Transport announced his decision on the pre-qualification schemes. Eleven schemes, including Isham bypass, were not selected for inclusion in the further funding round. In the case of Isham bypass this was because the promoters had not proposed any reduction in the amount of funding they intended to request from the Department for Transport. This compared with an overall reduction on the call on departmental funds from other schemes amounting to a saving of 42%.
It will be for the promoter to decide the next steps on this scheme. The process for providing future funding for major local authority transport schemes has yet to be agreed. Promoters will therefore need to consider, in consultation with the business community and local residents, whether further investment in the development of this scheme would be in the best interests of local council tax payers. Further development costs would be at the promoters own risk.