Motorists using one of the busiest roads into Shrewsbury are facing a double whammy of roadworks as part of plans for a major housing development.
Bosses at Persimmon Homes want to put in place an access road and mini-roundabout to the Spring Gardens development before work to build 188 homes begins.
But work also needs to be carried out by National Grid Gas on a gas main, by Central Networks on connections from the nearby electric substation, and by BT Openreach on telecommunications links.
Traffic lights will be set up from mid-April for up to 10 weeks to make way for the utility companies. Work on the mini-roundabout is expected to start in October and will take around two months.
Groundwork on the former MEB site halted in May last year due to the economic crisis and the condition of the housing market. Persimmon Homes representatives have so far not set a date for when houses will be built.
Gary Parton, Shropshire County Council’s co-ordination manager for central, said: “We have met with representatives from Central Networks, BT Openreach, National Grid Gas and Persimmon Homes to discuss a co-ordinated approach to the roadworks in Spring Gardens to minimise disruption as much as possible. We are still to finalise arrangements, however we anticipate that works to divert gas, electricity and BT mains will commence in mid-April.
“Following the completion of these works, it is expected that work on the mini-roundabout and access road to the housing development will start in October.”
Neil Follows, managing director for Persimmon Homes North West, said: “This work is anticipated to take approximately two months to complete and needs to be done before any building works start.
“I can confirm that there have been no changes to our plans for this development. I’m unable to predict a commencement date for building at Spring Gardens, but this will likely be in line with any significant improvement in current market conditions.”