The Nantwich “road to nowhere” could finally be opened this summer – two and half years after its initial opening date!
The A51 spine road around Reaseheath was built more than two years ago by housing developers behind the massive Kingsbourne estate between the A51, Welshmen’s Lane and Waterlode.
It was a condition set down in a Section 106 agreement between the developer and Cheshire East Council, aimed at relieving Reaseheath village of heavy traffic and providing a second key access to Kingsbourne development.
But since then it has been dogged by delays and disagreements caused by planning issues over crossings and rights of way, as well as house building targets not being met.
Developers issued original letters saying it was set to be open in February 2022.
But in 2023, frustrated residents signed a petition demanding more information after saying they were being left in the dark over the progress of the road.
They collected dozens of signatures and sent correspondence to Cheshire East Council head of highways Simon Wallace requesting a meeting and an update on the road’s progress.
Campaigner and Reaseheath resident Vicky Higham has spearheaded the fight to get the road open.
Earlier in 2023, Cheshire East blamed the ongoing delays on the housing developers.
Cllr Craig Browne, Cheshire East Council deputy leader and chair of the council’s highways and transport committee, said at the time the A51 realignment is a “developer-led scheme”.
But today, CEC has finally confirmed progress has been made and that the final works to complete the road will start in spring, with an opening likely in the summer.
A Cheshire East Council spokesperson said: “The housing developers of the Kingsbourne estate have submitted all information needed for the council to conduct the required technical review for detailed highway construction approval.
“The council is working closely with the developers to finalise this approval and enter into the legal highway agreement.
“It is both the council’s and developer’s aim to recommence the works by spring with a delivery target for completion by summer.”
Reaseheath Way, on the Kingsbourne Development is already proving be like a racetrack at times. Between inconsiderate residents and developer traffic whizzing by at all hours. Even pointing this out to a resident driving by, resulted in him stopping and hurling verbal abuse at me at paraphrasing “how dare I suggest he slows down” (when I say slow down he was trying to achieve motorway speeds on the site). Builders vans are just as inconsiderate, especially at ‘go-home’ o’clock.
The developers have persistently been vauge with timings, since we moved to the site just over 3 years ago. When they say it’ll be ‘October’ or ‘in the Summer’, please note they don’t say which year! This started as a joke, but has proved more and more factual.
I concur with others that Reaseheath Way will undoubtedly become a ‘rat-run’, including HGV traffic (and I used to be a HGV driver), unless major traffic calming measures and weight restrictions are placed on the link road.
Developers are steadily not giving a care to the site, recently demostrated with the bodge-job they have done, just by trying to relocate some lamposts, now left unfinished since Christmas 2023.
I’m sure that there will many other ‘rants’ to the site, be it the Council or Developers, so good luck to anyone on both on them attempts.
People may turn a blind eye to speeding on site, until someone is majorly injured. Then, it just becomes “we told you so”.
I applaud the small team trying to set-up a Residents Association, who are looking to meet up in late March, buy I hope for an 1100+ property site, some justified ‘rants’ can be rectified without further delay.
The A51 is NOT equipped for such heavy traffic.
I’m based at Wardle and we are experiencing more and more larger articulated lorries, 7 ton trucks, vans and cars, which majority of which do not adhere to the speed limits. It is a complete NIGHTMARE
The A51 has already seen major road works by Boughey, which resulted in road closure and diversion for some 12+ weeks, with no consideration for residents in the area, who were reliant on public transport.
By Wardle Avenue, the pavement is slowly slipping onto the canal embankment, along with the new roundabout pavement at Airfield Industrial Estate, where one section has been repaired but has since opened up and may well slip into the canal.
Same outfit no doubt that build pathways to shops in crewe Town but nothing to buy as no new shops
Build something to make money .
Not done anything with high street
That’s were it should re develope with cafes and stuff and make it no traffic
The main section of the new route of A51 will go around the back of the Equestrian Centre at Reaseheath and come back out on to the original road opposite the Soccer Centre. The smaller new roundabout is just to let people get on and off of a Kingsbourne, so the road through Kingsbourne is just that. The section of road up by the current roundabout seems similar width to the A51 through Reaseheath so should be fine. It’s if larger vehicles start trying to use the new Reaseheath Way road through Kingsbourne to get to town that will be a problem. There are more road humps needed further up on the estate towards the new road to stop these huge lorries making a cut through. So lorries hopefully stick to the A51. Signage should also help depending on what that will say. Hopefully make more sense for lorries to stick to the main A road.
Just another scheme where they’ve made it easier to build more houses. How many backhanders have they got for this waste of public money
The new road is simply not wide enough for HGV traffic + two more roundabouts to drive around + zebra crossings???? This is a main trucnk road to Chester and Wrexham.
When opened it will be absolute chaos………
I thought that all articulated lorries would continue along the main road to Chester cross roads, there would be no need for them to go through the estate. Welshmans Lane should be closed apart from walkers and local residents access and surely there will not be a junction on that narrow lane to the this new road.
Never mind selling their “assets”, they would be better off getting rid of their “assholes”…….just sayin.
The council need to make the developer complete all these types of works before they start any house building
Incomplete CE personified. Sky News listed CE as another council likely to go under. Having to sell “assets”: to survive . Surely there must be evidence of acute mismanagement and those involved should be held accountable in other words fully investigated to see what has happened
As someone else pointed out , Reaseheath Way, through the estate, is going to be a real rat run.
Who is paying for it all as all councils say they are broke
still have not addressed the fact that it is too narrow to allow two arctics to pass each other, no cycle lane either
It’s going to need weight restriction & speed controls to stop it becoming a rat run.
Well reading this article does not inspire me to believe that both the developers and the council will deliver this on time,if you call sometime in summer a deadline, bearing in mind the main infrastructure of the road is already built.
If I lived nearby I would not hold my breath, it won’t just be the tennis your watching this summer, watch these two bat the excuses back and forth into the autumn.
About time too!
Have all the safety, footpaths and crossings been sorted out?
This is appalling, both sides have come up with every excuse possible without actually doing anything for the residents of the town! Highways at its usual best??
Utter disgrace!