Controversial ‘relief road’ in Northampton set to finally open this month

A controversial ‘relief road’ in Northampton is set to finally open this month (May).

The Sandy Lane Relief Road (SLRR), joining New Sandy Lane in Duston and the A4500 near Harpole, is on schedule to open at the end of this month.

The Sandy Lane Relief Road: The northern section (top), built by Miller Homes, connects Berrywood Road to the A4500. The southern section (bottom) - known as the “road to nowhere” - has remained incomplete since 2010 but is finally set to open at the end of May 2025. Credit: Clare Malings

placeholder image — The Sandy Lane Relief Road: The northern section (top), built by Miller Homes, connects Berrywood Road to the A4500. The southern section (bottom) - known as the “road to nowhere” - has remained incomplete since 2010 but is finally set to open at the end of May 2025. Credit: Clare Malings

A spokesperson for Harpole Parish Council said: “The opening of this much-needed relief road is still on schedule for a May 2025 completion which should see this phase of development come to an end.”

The parish council added: "A rather sorry saga of misaligned agendas but I'm sure a huge learning curve if everyone involved can accept the feedback.

“Most that have commented know that the real takeaway is 'infrastructure first' – not rocket science really.”

Former leader of West Northants Council (WNC), councillor Adam Brown said: “After months of hard work, even though I won't be the local councillor I'm delighted that Harpole and the surrounding area will see these much needed works come to an end."

According to the latest update from highway contractors Kier, a new round of overnight works are scheduled to take place through mid-May. These works are taking place off the main highway and are not expected to disrupt traffic or cause significant noise.

The SLRR consists of two parts:

The northern section, built by developers Miller Homes, runs south from Berrywood Road and continues towards the A4500.

The southern section, known as ‘the road to nowhere’, runs north from the A4500 opposite Upton Valley Way North, which has been left incomplete since 2010 due to land disputes with its owner, Homes England.

The northern section originally closed on June 12, 2023, with plans to reopen by March 31, 2024. However, it didn’t open until June 28 – three months later than planned.

The southern section remained closed, so a temporary link was put in place, which is still being used today.

In September 2024, councillor Adam Brown said he hoped the southern section – described by some as the “road to nowhere” – would be finished by the end of the year. That target was missed.

In early 2025, Cllr Brown announced that, following negotiations with Homes England, work to complete the southern section had started in February and was now expected to be finished by spring 2025.