County to send bypass cash bid to Government

The North Yorkshire County Council executive agreed yesterday to push ahead with the proposed construction of the Bedale Aiskew and Leeming Bar Bypass, which is expected to cost more than £50m if it goes ahead.

The bid now joins about 45 others nationwide – including park- and-ride projects in York and two new railway stations in Leeds – competing for a share of £600m funding which the Government is set allocate by December.

Plans for the A684 bypass were first mooted in the mid-1990s and were put on hold in June last year when the coalition came to power.

The county council’s executive yesterday had to decide whether to submit a final bid for DfT backing, which must be done by September 9 – or mothball the plans altogether.

County Council leader Councillor John Weighell said: “This is very important to the economy of both Bedale and Wensleydale as it is the main route off the A1 and is absolutely vital.

“This has been here for such a long time and it has been delayed so much. Now we have just got to wait and see.”

In a report to the executive yesterday, David Bowe, the council’s corporate director for business and environmental services, warned the scheme will have already slipped to 18 months behind schedule by the time the DfT announces its decision, and the earliest start of construction would be autumn 2014.

The Government would provide the bulk of the funding, with the county council contributing about £7m.