The final two virtual events for the proposed M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme take place this week and next week, as part of Gloucestershire County Council's statutory public consultation.

Members of the project team will be online on Saturday, January 29, 2pm - 3.30pm and Wednesday, February 2, 7pm - 8.30pm to share the proposed scheme designs and answer questions.

To join the virtual events, registration is required in advance at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/J10.

The proposals will see significant improvements to M5 Junction 10, a new road linking Junction 10 to West Cheltenham and widening of the A4019 Tewkesbury Road.

The council is currently running a statutory public consultation, in order to gather feedback to help refine its final scheme design. The consultation, which launched on December 8, 2021, ends at 11.59pm on February 18, 2022.

Feedback on the proposals can be shared by completing the council's online survey at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/J10, where the detailed proposals can also be viewed.

Paper copies are available from Cheltenham Library and Tewkesbury Library or can be requested by emailing M5Junction10@atkinsglobal.com. For assistance in completing the survey, call 01452 426256 (Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm, excluding weekends & bank holidays).

Councillor David Gray, cabinet member for environment and planning, said: "We would encourage anyone who has an interest in our proposals to join us for our final two consultation events. As these events are online, you will need to register in advance to be able to take part.

"You can share your feedback with us by completing our survey. We're keen to hear from anyone who lives close to M5 Junction 10 and the A4019 Tewkesbury Road, or uses these routes for commuting, business or leisure. We also want the views of people who travel these roads using different means of transport - whether that's by car, van, HGV, motorcycle, cycle, bus, coach or by foot."

Due to the scale and nature of the scheme, it has been categorised as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project under the Planning Act 2008. This means the council must submit an application for a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate, in order to obtain planning permission to construct the scheme.

The scheme will be funded through the council's successful bid to the Government's Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), for £249m for the M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme. Work has been ongoing since the funding announcement to produce a preferred layout, which is the subject of this statutory public consultation.

In addition, National Highways has also identified that significant growth planned for this area would require improvements to M5 Junction 10 to maintain the safe and efficient operation of the M5 corridor.

Hannah Sanderson, programme manager for National Highways, said: "We are delighted to see the proposed M5 Junction 10 improvements progressing and are encouraging everyone to have their say on the design. The scheme will help ease congestion and improve the gateway into the South West, while also unlocking wider economic benefits to both local communities and the region as a whole.

"As well as supporting the scheme, we are especially proud of the work undertaken by the wider team to make sure there is minimum disruption to the environment, landscape and wildlife, as well promoting sustainable travel."