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Date published: 9th October, 2023
Over 400 local people have attended a public engagement event about Newark’s £100 million Southern Link Road project. Hosted by Middlebeck developer Urban&Civic alongside other stakeholders, the event brought the community together in their droves, for one common goal, to share, discuss and pore over plans for this important new stretch of road.
The event, held at YMCA Community and Activity Village on Bowbridge Road, ran across a series of public drop-in sessions and provided residents with the opportunity to learn more and ask questions about this new road and its benefits to the local area. Information boards outlined timescales, funding and computer-generated images of the completed road.
The much-anticipated Southern Link Road will create a new four-mile-long road in Newark, linking the A46 near Farndon with the A1 at Fernwood, with a roundabout at both ends. As well as easing congestion, the creation of the road unlocks land for further housing in the new community of Middlebeck, improves connectivity within Newark and the wider region, and plays an important role in the continued economic growth of Newark.
Representatives from Newark and Sherwood District Council who contributed to the funding, design, and planning of the project also attended alongside Skanska who was in attendance on behalf of National Highways to update on plans to dual the A46.
Contractors Breheny Civil Engineering and ECL Civil Engineering who are delivering the road on behalf of Urban&Civic were also in attendance as well as Oxford Archaeology who excavated the area for Urban&Civic prior to work commencing. Oxford Archaeology shared archaeological evidence of human activity dating back to the Neolithic period, through the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Norman periods, providing insight into some of the early settlements that existed around Newark.
Construction of the road is now underway with sections opening through 2025 and overall completion at the end of 2025. Urban&Civic is leading the delivery of the road as part of the Middlebeck development on the southern edge of Newark. In addition to the 500 homes already occupied, another 2,600 will follow upon completion of the Link Road.
Mike van den Berg, Project Director at Urban&Civic said: “We’re proud to be leading the delivery of the Southern Link Road which is a significant piece of infrastructure for Newark. We know through working closely with the District Council and local communities around Middlebeck, just how important this road will be to the town’s prosperity. The amount of people who came to our information event was testament to that and it was a really helpful to interact with local people and hear their feedback on the road.”
Matt Lamb, Director of Planning and Growth at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “This is a huge milestone and is the latest project to help Newark on the pathway to an exciting and ambitious future. The Link Road unlocks not only new homes at the growing Middlebeck community but also a new country park, sports facilities, contributions towards enhanced healthcare, expanded public transport, and up to 2 million square feet of new employment land. This will contribute to addressing congestion in the town, creating a link between the A1 and A46.
“On a practical level, we will work with National Highways and Nottinghamshire County Council to ensure that works are co-ordinated and minimise any disruption as much as possible. It is envisaged that works will conclude in the latter half of 2025.”
Local residents have been eagerly awaiting the Link Road since the announcement that funding had been confirmed: £20M of which has come from the Levelling Up Fund, £5M from Newark and Sherwood District Council, £3M from Nottinghamshire County Council, £7m from Local Enterprise Partnership and the remaining £65M through Urban&Civic.