Major motorway project ‘unlocks’ thousands of homes

7 hours agoSarah Turnnidge

BBC News, West of England

Thousands of new homes could be built thanks to major improvements to a motorway junction.

It was announced on Wednesday that development consent had been granted to a GBP229m project at Junction 10 of the M5 near Gloucester.

Currently drivers can only access the M5 northbound from the junction, but the redevelopment will see access granted on and off the major route in all directions.

The plans also include a new road linking Junction 10 to west Cheltenham, and the widening of the A4019 Tewkesbury Road.

Leader of Gloucestershire County Council Lisa Spivey told BBC Radio Gloucestershire she was "absolutely thrilled" the work was going ahead.

"There's been a lot of work on this and on this and we see this as a real key milestone in unlocking the fabulous potential here in Gloucestershire," she added, explaining that it could also bring new job opportunities, including in cyber and AI.

As well as upgrades to the road network the money is also planned to fund flood mitigation measures and "active travel" facilities.

The scheme has been funded by the government's housing infrastructure fund, alongside developers whose planned sites are set to benefit from improved links, with Gloucestershire County Council in charge.

Rebecca Marshall, a senior project manager at National Highways - which is partnering with the council on the development - said: "This scheme will create smoother and safer journeys for all and improve travel times in the area.

"It will also unlock housing and business development opportunities, as well as improving access to and from the motorway for emergency services.

Public information events are set to be held during the summer, with construction getting underway from spring 2026.

Completion, the council said, is expected in 2028.