Council leaders are to remove protections safeguarding five pieces of land for future road schemes – including one in Biddulph.
Staffordshire County Council currently protects nine highway alignments that safeguard potential routes for bypasses or junction improvements.
This means plans to develop the land can be blocked if they would prevent transport infrastructure being delivered.
One of the sites is Newpool Road, Biddulph.
But the council is now proposing to remove the protections for five of these alignments following a review, as they are no longer seen as necessary writes local democracy reporter Kerry Ashdown.
In some cases this is because the road scheme is unlikely to bring any real benefits, would have too many drawbacks or has already been “compromised” by development.
The alignment of the proposed Cheadle Bypass is to be retained, while three other alignments would be reclassified as “active travel corridors”.
Cabinet members were sked to approve the changes to the highway alignments at their meeting yesterday (Wednesday).
The report to Cabinet explained that if an alignment was no longer considered justified, it could result in “significant” legal costs for the council and reputational damage if a developer successfully appealed against its plans being refused.
County Coun Andrew Mynors, Cabinet member for connectivity, said: “Protecting land for possible future road schemes is an important planning tool, but it must stay up to date. Where there is still a strong case, we should continue to protect a route.
“But where a scheme is no longer supported by current plans, is unlikely to be delivered, or would not offer good value for money, it is right to give residents, landowners and developers clarity.”
The five alignments include Newpool Road, Biddulph, set aside for “realignment”.
According to the report, the realignment has no local plan or local transport plan policy support. It would also negatively impact a national cycle network route and publicly accessible greenspace.
The scheme would offer “no identified traffic or road safety benefits” and the cost is likely to be “considerable”.
Other land is on the A520 Cellarhead Crossroads, Werrington Bypass; Yoxall Bypass, for alignment; Stafford Southern Bypass; and B5032 Ashbourne Road, Mayfield, for realignment.
The report recommended retaining the protection for the proposed Cheadle Bypass.
The proposed link road between Tean Road and Brookhouse Way would support housing development to the west of the town and is included in the Staffordshire Moorlands local plan.
But the report noted that it would need to be delivered via developer contributions with no public funding available.
Three other alignments – Amington Link Road, Dosthill Bypass in Tamworth, and the Winchester Road, Hednesford extension scheme – will be turned into active travel corridors.
This would mean the alignments would no longer be protected for future road schemes, but for potential walking and cycling infrastructure instead.
The Cabinet report also recommended that protection was not introduced for the Cornhill Link Road in Leek. The report said the road was unlikely to provide transport benefits or relive congestion in the town centre.
