New road numbers announced for A428 scheme
Published
16 Sep 2021
Development Consent Order application progresses to next round of hearings
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A 10-mile section of new road to be delivered as part of a proposed major upgrade in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire is set to be named A421, as the examination process continues to progress.
When the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements scheme opens in 2025/2026, the new dual carriageway will become an extension of the existing A421, which currently stops at the Black Cat Roundabout, through to Caxton Gibbet junction.
The existing A428 will also be renumbered in two sections as it changes from part of the strategic road network to become two local roads. The existing A428 will become the A1428 between Great North Road in St Neots and Cambridge Road junction. From Cambridge Road junction to Caxton Gibbet the existing A428 will become the B1428, continuing the existing B1428 which passes through St Neots further west.
The A428 scheme, which proposes a new 10-mile dual carriageway from the Black Cat Roundabout on the A1 through to Caxton Gibbet junction in addition to a number of new junctions and improvements, is currently going through its Development Consent Order examination process. The scheme, if given the go ahead by the Secretary of State for Transport once the examination process has been completed, will improve journeys between Milton Keynes and Cambridge, bringing communities together and supporting long term growth in the region.
Development Consent Order - upcoming examination hearings
With the examination process entering its second month soon, the next round of hearings has been announced. They will be held next week on 22, 23 and 24 September with a reserved hearing date on 28 September, if needed.
National Highways is today publishing the agenda for the hearings, so that people can listen in when their topics of interest are discussed, including: archaeology, noise, and traffic effects in the surrounding area.
| Date | Hearings and topics |
|---|---|
|
Wednesday 22 September 2021 1:00 pm |
Compulsory Acquisition Hearing (CAH1) Matters relating to the powers sought for Compulsory Acquisition (CA) and Temporary Possession (TP) 1. The case for CA and TP 2. Site specific matters 3. Statutory Undertakers’ land 4. Crown land 5. Funding 6. Draft Development Consent Order (dDCO) provisions |
|
Thursday 23 September 2021 10:00 am |
Issue Specific Hearing (ISH2) Highway matters including the dDCO 1. Need for the proposed development 2. Traffic effects on the nearby highway network 3. Highway layouts and structures 4. Effects on Non-Motorised Users 5. Outline construction traffic management plan 6. Noise and air quality 7. dDCO |
|
Friday 24 September 2021 10:00 am |
Issue Specific Hearing (ISH3) Social, economic and environmental matters including the dDCO 1. Assessment of alternatives 2. Heritage matters, including listed building and archaeology 3. Landscape effects 4. Biodiversity including Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) matters 5. Land use, including loss of Best and Most Versatile land 6. Flood risk 7. Wider construction effects, including borrow pits 8. Sustainability effects, in particular economic effects 9. dDCO |
|
Tuesday 28 September 2021 10:00 am (Reserved hearing date) |
Issue Specific Hearing or Open Floor Hearing |
The hearings are being carried out virtually. You can listen in via the livestream on the Planning Inspectorate’s website where a link to join will be posted shortly before the hearings begin.
Links to the hearings will also be shared from the A428 Facebook and Twitter pages. The recordings of the meetings will also be posted on the Planning Inspectorate’s website shortly after they have finished, to allow you to listen in if you can’t join live.
For the latest information about the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements:
