Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) could be made to ensure a £219m upgrade to M5 junction 10 can go ahead.

Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet agreed in an online meeting on 22nd July to use the powers to purchase land, if needed, as part of the major scheme at Uckington near Cheltenham, as reported by the BBC.

The upgrade will make the junction two-way, giving access from the motorway both northbound and southbound. The junction currently has no access for southbound travellers and no exit for traffic coming from the south.

A public consultation on the plans is expected to take place in the autumn.

A funding grant for the project from Homes England is reliant on the council meeting certain conditions, including the power to use CPO if required for the highway works. The powers could be used if land was required to be bought for the works, but Cllr Nigel Moor said the "clear preference" would be to negotiate settlements with affected landowners.

The council says upgrading the junction is essential for the county's economy. It would link the M5 into west Cheltenham to 1,100 new homes, a school and a cyber business park.

It should also ease long-standing traffic congestion issues in Cheltenham caused by motorists travelling across the town on local roads to reach junction 11.