Gloucestershire County Council has announced its preferred option for the proposed upgrade of Junction 10 of the M5.

Currently M5 Junction 10, near Uckington to the west of Cheltenham, only has slip roads to and from the north. This puts extra pressure on already congested local roads, including Princess Elizabeth Way, with all motorway traffic heading south from Cheltenham or south into Cheltenham forced to use Junction 11, which provides access to and from Cheltenham on the A40.

The proposals would see slip roads go in both directions, providing improved access to west and north-west Cheltenham. Option 2 was the favourite with those who took part in last year's consultation, and would see the junction upgraded with a roundabout constructed above the motorway, centred on the existing junction and connecting the motorway slip roads to the local highway network.

Upgrading the motorway junction is essential to developments around Cheltenham, particularly the new Golden Valley Development, set to be the home of Cyber Central. The development is set to bring around 12,000 jobs to Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the surrounding area and, over time, will deliver 3,700 new homes to the area.

Following a bid to Homes England's Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) in March 2019, the county council has successfully secured £249 million for the proposed scheme.

The M5 is managed by Highways England, which has been working closely with the county council to develop proposals for the junction and support the project as it moves forward.

As well as proposals to improve Junction 10, the public were also asked for their views on plans for a new road linking Junction 10 to west Cheltenham, an upgraded A38/ A4019 junction at Coombe Hill and widening of the A4019 east of the new link road towards Cheltenham.

Overall, the consultation found a high level of agreement on the need for the scheme, with more than 80 per cent of survey respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that it is necessary. The most popular option for the junction upgrade was backed by 37 per cent of respondents.

Following the publication of a summary consultation report in March, a detailed consultation report has now been released. The consultation results have been supported by further engineering, design and survey work, to inform the selection of the preferred options for the wider project.

The county council has decided that the proposal to upgrade the A38/ A4019 junction at Coombe Hill will go ahead as a separate project. It is hoped that dealing with this separately could enable the Coombe Hill works to happen sooner.

Proposals for the junction will now be developed further, before an opportunity to give feedback on the detailed proposals in a statutory consultation before the end of 2021. Further work will follow to confirm the scheme before applying for planning consent.

Current predictions are that the upgraded Junction 10 will be open in 2024.

Homes England funding for Junction 10 also includes provision of an expanded park and ride facility at Arle Court to help to ease congestion further by taking traffic off local roads. Consultation and planning on this element of the scheme, known as Arle Court Transport Hub, will take place later this year with construction anticipated to follow in 2022.

Cllr David Gray, cabinet member for environment and planning, said: "Announcing our preferred option is a key milestone in the project to upgrade Junction 10 of the M5.

"It's great that we are making significant progress on this scheme, which will greatly improve access to and from west Cheltenham, improve air quality by easing congestion on local roads and provide a boost to jobs and the county's economy. I'm pleased that the options consultation was so well supported and that there is an excellent level of public backing for these proposals."

Andrew Alcorn, Highways England programme leader, said: "Highways England is delighted to be working in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council on these much needed improvements that will support economic growth plans, as well as help to solve long standing traffic and travel issues and improve air quality.

"We welcome the preferred route announcement following the consultation. Getting the views of road users, the local community and businesses was crucial to designing a project that offers the best value and provides benefits for all, while reducing the impact on the environment."

More information about the M5 Junction 10 Improvement Scheme, including the Consultation Report and the Preferred Route Announcement can be found online at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/J10.

You can also email M5Junction10@atkinsglobal.com if you have any questions about the proposed scheme.