Completion date revealed for major relief road in Northamptonshire town – but many have criticised the 'chaos' of construction works
A completion date for a major relief road in a Northamptonshire town has been revealed – but many are unhappy at how it has been carried out.
The Towcester relief road is set to open in spring this year, according to the developer building it, Persimmon Homes.
The relief road is part of huge housing developments in the town by Persimmon, which will see thousands of new homes. The relief road will join the A5 to the A43 to stop traffic travelling through the town centre on the A5.
Asked for a latest update, a spokeswoman for Persimmon Homes said: “The A43 works are currently on track to be completed in Spring 2026. We are in discussions with the relevant authorities with regards to the overall relief road opening process and in line with that, we anticipate completing all surfacing, line marking and signage work along the Relief Road up to the A43 roundabout from the middle of February, which should enable Road Safety Auditing and approvals to commence.
“The purpose of the road is to provide relief to Towcester Town Centre, particularly for HGV traffic, and has been solely funded by us. The road has been designed and constructed to meet stringent technical standards and has been approved by both National Highways and West Northamptonshire Council.”
However, many residents have been unhappy with the way the project has been carried out over the years.
Independent Councillor Ian McCord, representing the Deanshanger and Paulerspury ward, said: “I am pleased to see that this road has an opening date in sight. Since being elected to South Northants Council in 2007 this has been a key project.
“However, the fact remains that this will be 27 months late. The planning permission states that the road should have been open when the 1016th house was occupied. That happened in January 2024.
“Throughout this process Persimmon have played the system and the people of Towcester. They turned down grants to deliver the road early and showed complete indifference to their daily breach of planning conditions.
“The road completion is welcome, there are plans afoot now in the new Local Plan to build a further 1,400 homes in Towcester, there are a lot of lessons to be learned from this saga.”
Residents also shared Councillor McCord’s dissatisfaction.
One resident claimed: “It is absolute madness. Some four years late and simply not fit for purpose. The road is far too narrow… and as such the drivers will vote with their feet and continue to use the A5 through Towcester.
“When you compare the quality of this road to the excellent Roade relief road, the difference is very noticeable. The Roade bypass does what it's intended for. The Towcester bypass is an absolute joke and will not reduce freight traffic on the A5.”
However, Conservative MP for the area Sarah Bool recently said: “The next stage – which I am working on with National Highways – is to have a weight restriction placed on the centre of Towcester so the lorries cannot come through as they do now and other works too. More updates on this to follow.”
Other public comments include…
One said: “There is no way that a roundabout in the middle of a road should take 18 months. It’s farcical. Persimmon really couldn’t care less about the chaos they are causing.”
Another said: “Can we stop calling it a relief road? We all know it's going to have little effect on Towcester itself and only act as an access route to the new estate, that might as well be its own village.”
Another said: “Months of disruption, delays and daily gridlock. It’s unbearable if you are living with this day in day out. Especially driving past every day and seeing not one person on site! How can this be on such a crucial road network in the country.”