A PUBLIC inquiry into plans for an inner ring road in Luton is due to start on January 25.
Luton Borough Council believes the £24million scheme could help to create hundreds of new jobs and unlock prime time traffic gridlock on the roads.
The scheme, which has been on the cards for nine years, has attracted objections as it involves some compulsory purchase orders for key slabs of land.
The project originally received provisional support in 2003 and compulsory purchase orders were published in 2009/10.
Some of those have been resolved but the council says seven objections remain outstanding. Objectors have included a car repair business that will have to relocate, and the owners of railway land.
A council spokesman said: “It is hoped that further objections will be withdrawn prior to the inquiry.”
A part of the issue is that the funding has not been in place to offer compensation payments to owners of land.
However, that piece of the jigsaw fell into place before Christmas when the government announced it would be stumping up £15.85million of the total cost.
The balance of £8.15m will, the council says, come from third party contributions and identified savings on land, design and construction costs.
Overall, though the Luton Town Centre Transport Scheme has been forecast to make it easier for developments at town centre sites to get permission, including Power Court, to proceed.
A council spokesman said: “As a consequence it is anticipated that such developments will contribute towards the cost of this project and possibly other associated town centre improvements.”
The inner ring road will run around the north side of the town centre.
It will include a new road from Old Bedford Road, under the new station car park to Hitchin Road, and then a largely on-line improvement of Crescent Road from there to Crawley Green Road.
The section of Crawley Green Road, from Crescent Road to St Mary’s Road, will become dual carriageway, and this will involve placing a new bridge over the railway and the busway immediately north of the existing bridge.
In addition there will be a short section of new road between Hitchin Road and the eastern part of Midland Road, providing a link to the new station car park.
Guildford Street will be closed to general traffic immediately west of Bute Street, and there will be changes to traffic circulation arrangements around the north side of the town centre phased-in as various developments to the north of the town centre are built.
Subject to the outcome of the public inquiry, work on the scheme could then start in 2013 with completion by 2015.
The council has no doubts about the importance of the scheme.
Councillor Roy Davis, the portfolio holder for regeneration said: “The Town Centre Transport Scheme is vital to securing the long-term economic prosperity and future growth of Luton, and the council has been working hard for more than nine years to get to this point.
“Not only will completion of the inner ring road help reduce peak period congestion in and around the town centre but it will also improve access for pedestrians and cyclists, and free up land for continued regeneration, creating new jobs and homes to boost the economy in Luton.”
Colin Chick, the council’s corporate director for environment and regeneration, said the government’s funding decision “greatly improves prospects for the delivery of major regeneration projects in Luton, including Power Court, extensions to The Mall, High Town Village and the Station Gateway.
“Development of these sites could also release much-needed funding for the improvement of Luton station.”