New Kidderminster link road plan may force firms out
Businesses could be forced to relocate to make way for a new link road in Kidderminster, it has emerged.
Worcestershire County Council has cleared the way for Compulsory Purchase Orders to be issued if negotiations with landowners and traders end in deadlock.
Officials are pushing ahead with plans for the Hoobrook Link Road with the aim of starting work in October this year.
It will link the A451 Stourport Road and the A442 Worcester Road running through the 74-acre former British Sugar factory site, which is being redeveloped into a business park.
But work on the project will be dependent on land being secured, although no homes are said to be affected.
Landowners and tenants have been consulted throughout the planning application and design period.
An independent agent was hired by the authority to act on its behalf in negotiations with the agents of businesses and landowners affected by the scheme.
However, if the purchase of land required for the project is not possible by agreement, the council says it might be necessary to make Compulsory Purchase Orders.
Tenants affected by the scheme have also been in discussions with Wyre Forest District Council to negotiate alternative premises.
Some of the businesses affected are on the Hoobrook Enterprise Centre, off Worcester Road. But bosses did not wish to comment as talks are still under way, and some said there was still some 'confusion' over the exact route the road would take.
Councillor Nathan Desmond, deputy leader of Wyre Forest District Council, said: "All legal agreements need to be completed so everything is in place by the summer .
"Tenants will be relocated so that diggers can be on site in October.
The key point is that all the money needed for this project is in place and work is hoped to start in October and be completed in 2016.
"The county council has been working closely with tenants to find suitable sites for their relocation and for reimbursement."
He said the project was vital to the area as presently the whole length of the Worcester Road, Foley Park area and Stourport Road can become gridlocked.
"To attract investment we need suitable infrastructure.
"That is why this link road is vital, not only to relieve congestion on the roads but also to act as a lever to attract businesses and investment to Kidderminster."
