City of Lincoln Council and Lindum Western Growth Community Limited officially marked the start of opening-up works for the long-awaited delivery of the new Western Growth Corridor.
During an official groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday 17th August 2023, representatives from the City of Lincoln Council, Lindum Western Growth Community Ltd, Lincoln City Council’s Civic Party, Homes England, and contractors joined in celebrating starting the development of a new community including much needed housing and connection routes into the city centre.
The Western Growth Corridor development, which is being delivered on land owned by City of Lincoln Council and Lindum Western Growth Community Ltd, received planning permission in January 2022, with detailed consent for the two access points into the site, one at Skellingthorpe Road to the south of the site, and the second access on Tritton Road to the east of the site.
The construction works currently under way will provide the first access into the development with a new signalised traffic road junction on the corner of Skellingthorpe Road and Birchwood Avenue. The works are expected to last around 52 weeks.
Traffic management plans have been introduced along Skellingthorpe Road and Birchwood Avenue to maintain and control the flow of traffic and to ensure the safety of the public and those working on the scheme.
To minimise disruption the latest technology is being used with temporary three-way traffic signals installed at the junction of Skellingthorpe Road and Birchwood Avenue. These ‘smart’ signals are designed to allow traffic to be moving in all directions during the work and will be active at all times.
These traffic controls are being closely monitored and managed on site, which enables contractors to act quickly in making changes as required in the case of incidents on the wider road network to keep traffic moving and reduce disruption to road users.
The first phase of the Western Growth Corridor new housing development, which will be accessed from Skellingthorpe Road is set to start in early 2024 with the delivery of the first phase of homes subject to planning permissions. The new homes will include a range of houses for sale and will incorporate open spaces, landscaped features, and net zero carbon technologies.
Cllr Naomi Tweddle, Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Economic Growth at City of Lincoln Council said:
"It is fantastic to see the start of works on this long-awaited development in the city and to see years of hard work finally moving into the construction phase.
“Western Growth Corridor is a key priority within the City of Lincoln Councils overall vision for the city and these works will open up the development site for future development and investment creating opportunities for housing growth and contributing directly and indirectly to the economic growth of the city over the next 20 years.
"We hope that the introduction of the three-way traffic lights at Birchwood Avenue will help to go some way to addressing local concerns and we will continue to monitor arrangements through the works.
"We apologise for the inconvenience the works may cause, however putting this infrastructure in now will greatly benefit visitors and residents in years to come.”
Mark Burnett, Director at Lindum Western Growth Corridor Ltd. added:
“We are really pleased to see years of hard work finally translating into activity on site.
“While we appreciate there will be some inevitable disruption, we are confident this work will benefit the city of Lincoln in the longer term.
“We thank everyone for their patience while we deliver this significant development.”