‘Financial risks’ taken away from county council in North-West relief road contract

Last week Conservative councillors on the cabinet agreed to progress the next steps for the 1.6km bypass, including awarding a ‘design and build’ contract to Balfour Beatty worth £32 million.

The contract will be awarded if members of the county council’s development control committee grant planning permission when it meets in July.

Cabinet member for highways, Councillor Jason Smithers, said: “The current scheme cost is £32.5 million. Working with Balfour Beatty through a design and build process we aim to get that down to £28 million through value engineering. The design and build process is that the contractor designs it, builds it and takes on the financial risks, so there’s no coming back to the county council for extra money at a later date. If they decide that they can’t continue, they have to continue on the job.”

Balfour Beatty will prepare a target price for construction after it has finished the design and preparation stage, and should this be acceptable, and providing planning permission has been granted and the land secured, they would then construct the road. Should the target price be unacceptable, then it will be necessary to go out to tender to procure a new contractor.

Deputy leader Councillor Lizzy Bowen said: “I like the commerciality of this in terms of holding the people who build this road to account and also that they can’t come back to constantly ask for more money, so we’re being much more savvy in the way that we’re actually delivering our contracts for the future which I think is great news.”

The relief road would link the the A428 Harlestone Road with the A5199 Welford Road. A section from the A428 to just south of the railway line has already been constructed as part of the Harlestone Manor development, while the remaining section would serve the 3,000-home Dallington Grange development between New Duston and Kingsthorpe. The single-lane carriageway would include two new roundabouts.

A number of resident groups and parish councils have argued that it will clog up areas like Welford Road and Brampton Lane. But Northampton Borough Council (NBC) has raised no objections, and is also putting in £2.5 million of funding. There is also £7.9 million of funding due from SEMLEP, with the rest coming from the county council’s capital funds.

County council leader Matt Golby added: “I believe the delivery of this needs to happen as soon as we can to support the growth and infrastructure of Northampton and I welcome the cooperation with NBC in helping us to move this forward.”

The cabinet deal, which was struck at One Angel Square on Tuesday (March 10) also agreed for the authority to acquire the land necessary for the construction of the scheme, including if necessary a Compulsory Purchase Order.

Councillor Smithers concluded: “Nothing in this report compromises the decision the development control committee will take. It does not grant planning permission. If they do not grant it then the scheme cannot progress to construction.

“Myself and officers have met with some objectors of the scheme, and to an extent I understand some of their concerns. However, if we do not build this road we will not be providing the infrastructure that Northampton needs to grow.

“It’s a good deal for the county and we need to do these deals moving forwards into the unitary.”