How much will it cost Calderdale Council to buy land needed for the next phase of £120m A629 scheme

Plans for the fourth project in the £120m, A629 improvement programme between Halifax and Huddersfield are moving forward, following approvals by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Investment Committee.

The project complements the work of the other stages of the A629 scheme being delivered by Calderdale and Kirklees Councils, through improvements to walking, cycling and bus travel along the corridor.

At the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee meeting earlier this month, members approved funding for land acquisition and to develop the project proposals to a detailed design stage.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet will now discuss the process of purchasing the land required for the project and consider granting authority to begin negotiations with landowners. It is estimated that the cost will be £2.5m

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Resources, Cllr Jane Scullion, said: “I’m pleased that we’re now at the stage where we can prepare detailed proposals for phase four of the A629 programme.

"These plans will incorporate the important feedback we received in the consultation earlier this year into more detailed designs, supporting further development of the scheme.

“We’ll now discuss the next steps for the project, which would include purchasing the land required to achieve the scheme’s full range of benefits.”

What is happening in this phase of work?

The phase 4 scheme will aim to see a reduction in congestion at West Vale through capacity and junction signal improvements.

The work s will also create a bus corridor to improve bus journey times and journey quality, improvements to cycle routes to Halifax and Huddersfield, and, in conjunction with bus operators, aims to implement an express bus service between the towns.

To help shape the detailed plans for the scheme, a public consultation was held during February and March 2019. This gave people the opportunity to review the early proposals, meet the project team and ask questions.

Overall, feedback for the project was positive, with the majority of respondents expecting that the proposals would improve journeys for all modes of transport. The comments received will be used to develop the detailed, full business case proposals.

Coun Peter Box, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee said: “The £100 million of improvement work to the A629 between Halifax and Huddersfield is the largest overall scheme in the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund programme.

“Like all of our Transport Fund schemes, the improvements along the A629 are designed to support local economic growth and new jobs by reducing costly congestion and the pollution it causes.”

The project will be discussed at the meeting of Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday 29 July at Halifax Town Hall, starting at 6pm.