Stafferton Way link road plans submitted

Proposals to create a link road between Stafferton Way and Oldfield Road in Maidenhead have moved a step closer after formal plans were submitted.

Agent Peter Brett Associates has submitted three planning applications on behalf of the Royal Borough, including proposals to extend Stafferton Way over a new bridge over Moor Cut to meet Oldfield Road and Bray Road at a roundabout.

Plans have also been submitted for new roundabouts where Oldfield Road meets Chauntry Road and its junction with Bridge Road and Lassell Gardens.

The railway arch on Oldfield Road would also be opened up to allow for two-way traffic.

The submission follows months of consultation, and Cllr Geoff Hill, cabinet member for highways and transport, said a 'great deal of design work has gone on behind the scenes' to make sure the scheme is right.

"My view is that we are 90 to 95 per cent of the way there," he said.

"The fundamentals of the design are complete.

"It's now about refining it to make it be the best possible for people who use the road."

The project has been in the pipeline for nearly 50 years and the borough was able to finally push ahead with the plans after securing more than £2m in Government funding in June.

The scheme, which the council hopes will ease congestion in the town centre and the wider area, is estimated to cost £3.6m.

It would effectively create a ring road around the town, which Cllr Hill said would 'complete' Maidenhead's road network.

"Overall I'm very happy with the way it has gone," he said.

"It's a very, very major scheme and in that context it has gone very smoothly."

If approved, work could begin as early as the spring, with an estimated completion date of September 2015.

Consultation will continue until February 27, with a decision expected in April.