More details have emerged of an ambitious Leeds City Council bid for Government cash to fund “revolutionary” travel and environmental improvements at the outer ring road between Horsforth and Pudsey.
As WLD reported on Tuesday, councillors on the executive board gave the green light to ask the Government to fund two schemes – each costing £20 million – from the Government’s so-called “levelling up” fund.
One proposal focuses on travel and environmental improvements to the outer ring road between Horsforth and Pudsey, while the other would create a new wellbeing centre at Fearnville Leisure Centre in North-East Leeds.
More details have today emerged about the Ring Road scheme in West Leeds, which is expected to be submitted to government later this month. Proposals include:
- Providing a safe pedestrian crossing across the ring road linking Calverley and Farsley – probably some form of bridge – but also linking the public rights of way that link parts of Farsley.
- To create a walkable route along the ring road between Horsforth, Rodley and Dawson’s Corner in Pudsey;
- To improve the traffic flow at the Fink Hill Roundabout, Horsforth, to ease congestion and make the junction much safer for motorists and pedestrians;
- To accommodate a ring road cycle route without reducing road capacity;
- Planting more trees at Dawson’s Corner, providing a wooded walkway on council-owned land.
Councillor Andrew Carter (Cons, Calverley & Farsley) has been feeding into the bid alongside Pudsey MP Stuart Andrew. He said the funding would help restore historic links between communities.
On the road crossing linking Calverley and Farsley, he said:
“Don’t forget that virtually the whole of Calverley Lane, both sides of the ring road, are in Farsley. So this is about reuniting historic communities and providing safe walking routes.”
Cllr Carter said the bid had been put together ‘in some haste to fit the tight timescale’ and added:
“Hopefully if this bid is successful it will link into the Dawson’s Corner major road junction scheme. We are also discussing linkages to a possible park and ride scheme adjacent to New Pudsey Station, with links to Pudsey Town Centre.
“This is a great opportunity for us to see investment in our communities and, in particular, restore historic links.”
Dawson’s Corner is one of the most congested junctions in the city, and separate council proposals to this bid include a fully remodelled and enlarged signalised junction, utilising land to the southwest of the existing junction. There will also be improved cycle/pedestrian provision and bus route improvements to promote alternative modes of transport.
Council leader James Lewis (Lab) said at Tuesday’s meeting:
“We do have to respond to the national government’s timescales. We have been ambitious for the first two schemes. This is about making a start and the whole city will be included.”
A council report to executive board added:
“The timescale and demands of the bidding process are extremely challenging and have required an urgent and intense amount of work to assess, prioritise and develop a realistic number of bids.
“For Leeds (and West Yorkshire) Levelling Up is an opportunity to … accelerate our plans to create a better connected, inclusive, healthier and decarbonised city.”
A third Leeds ‘levelling up’ scheme, for which a bid is not expected until later in the year, has been dubbed Leeds Park City. It is hoped to “breathe new life into every park in every community”.
The report considered by executive board councillors this week can be read in full here. A video of the meeting can also be viewed here.