Campaigners fight on for road to coast

TRAVEL: Politicians and campaigners aim to fight on for a dual cariageway on a major route to the Yorkshire coast – despite claims construction could not begin until 2025.

The fight for the A64 from the Hopgrove roundabout to Golden Hill at Malton stalled when it was left out of Whitehall’s Road Investment Strategy.

SENIOR COUNCILLORS and campaigners have said they will continue to fight for the dualling of a key part of a major route to the Yorkshire coast – despite the Government saying construction could not begin until 2025 “at the earliest”.

The campaign to dual part of the A64 from the Hopgrove roundabout, where it meets the York outer ring road, to Golden Hill at Malton stalled in the Budget

in March when it was not included in the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Road Investment Strategy for the next five years.

However, the DfT has said that if a solid business case is made, it could enter construction in the next investment place, which covers 2025-2030.

Ryedale District Council leader Coun Keane Duncan, said the decision to stall was “hugely disappointing” but that the strength of feeling locally “is not going away”.

“We will continue to press for the scheme’s delivery at the earliest opportunity,” he said. “It is just one element of a range of desperately needed improvements on the A64, including work on Malton bypass and work near Crambeck which Ryedale District Council is supporting.

“We will continue working through the A64 Growth Partnership to deliver improvements as soon as we possibly can.”

The bid for the improvements, overseen by the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, has campaigned for £250m in government funding.

A feasibility study has already been completed for the A64 scheme by Highways England, who said it would reduce queues and congestion at the Hopgrove roundabout which caused both delays and accidents.

A spokesperson said it would also improve journey time reliability between West Yorkshire and the Yorkshire coast, reducing conflict with local traffic, and support planned developments in Ryedale and Scarborough.

Transport for the North’s major roads director, Peter Molyneux, said it was continuing to advocate for the scheme to be “brought forward at pace” in order to support the region’s economic recovery and growth.

The MP for Thirsk and Malton, Kevin Hollinrake, said although it was unlikely the scheme would be brought forward due to the length of the development process, this was the furthest the scheme had reached in a campaign for dualling that had gone on for decades.

“I am very pleased with the movement we have,” he said. “The A64 as it is, is a huge deterrent to the economic development of the region.”

The DfT said it was looking at the scheme to make sure it would deliver “the maximum benefit for the communities it serves”. A total of £2.3bn has been committed for road improvements in the North for the next five years, a spokesman added.

We will continue to press for the scheme’s delivery.

Ryedale District Council Leader Coun Keane Duncan.