COTSWOLD Mo Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has welcomed Government approval for the next stage of the A417 “Missing Link” roundabout solution.

The 5km length of road, with a notorious accident blackspot at the Air Balloon roundabout, is the only stretch of single carriageway along the 50km strategic route between the M4 and M5.

It is used extensively by Cotswolds residents who commute to London.

The formal rubber stamping of the scheme by Highways England allows one of the most important stages of the process, namely the full scale options assessment to determine the final route, to go ahead.

Commenting on the news, Mr Clifton-Brown said: “I’m delighted that approval has now been given by Highways England for the start of the A147 “Missing Link” process. This is the first step in the statutory process of delivering the Secretary of State for Transport’s commitment to have spades in the ground by 2020. Despite scaremongering from the county’s Liberal Democrats about delays to this project, Cheltenham MP Alex Chalk and I have applied continuous pressure both nationally and locally to ensure that the Government’s deadline commitments will be met. Regular travellers along the route both inside and outside Gloucestershire will warmly welcome this as the beginning of the solution to their twice daily disruption.”

Phase 1 of the project will be a 13-24 month period of option identification for the remainder of the work and is the required first step on the A417 project plan.