Work begins on long-awaited Poynton Relief Road

Contractor on the project, Graham, has begun enabling works on the three-kilometre Poynton Relief Road.

The £53 million project is being developed by Cheshire East Council, working in partnership with Stockport Council and will provide an alternative route for through traffic from Macclesfield to Stockport which currently must pass through Poynton village centre.

Local residents have welcomed the news that work has begun, following decades of campaigning to ease the burden of high traffic volumes and congestion in Poynton.

Graham, which was awarded the design and build contract in autumn 2019, is undertaking enabling works to clear parts of the site and prepare the ground for construction which will see the Poynton Relief Road open to traffic in 2022.

Funding for the £53 million scheme was agreed by government earlier this year, following a successful bid by Cheshire East Council for local growth funding administered by the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership.

Cllr Craig Browne, deputy leader of Cheshire East Council said:

I am delighted that work has now begun on the long-awaited Poynton Relief Road. The council sees this scheme as a key priority in our major infrastructure plans to improve connections across the whole borough.

“The Poynton Relief Road is a critical part of delivering our vision for sustainable economic growth and is another great example of how this council delivers high-quality infrastructure projects. It will create jobs, address the longstanding problems of congestion in and around Poynton and improve access to Macclesfield and other key strategic employment and visitor sites.”

Leo Martin, MD of civil engineering for Graham, said:

We are looking forward to beginning works on the new Poynton Relief Road and working with Cheshire East Council to develop this vital infrastructure for the village and wider region.

“As well as reducing congestion in Poynton we will be providing a 3.5m-wide footpath and cycleway that will support cyclists and pedestrians as a greener option for travel.

“I’ve no doubt this project will provide vast benefits to the Poynton and Macclesfield areas and will be the latest in a number of important transport infrastructure schemes we have been proud to deliver in recent years.”

Cheshire East Council contributed £21m towards the cost of the scheme with Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership providing £5.6m from the government’s Growth Deal and the Department for Transport providing £16.4m. A total of £7.7m is expected to come from developer contributions. Further information on the Poynton Relief Road is available from the Cheshire East Council website.