M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme

Description

Background Gloucestershire faces significant challenges to achieve its vision for economic growth. A Joint Core Strategy (JCS) - a partnership between Gloucester City Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council was formed to produce a co-ordinated strategic development plan to show how the region will develop during the period up to 2031. This includes a shared spatial vision targeting 35,175 new homes and 39,500 new jobs by 2031. Major development of new housing (c.9,000 homes) and employment land (c.100ha) is proposed in strategic and safeguarded allocations in the West and North West of Cheltenham, much of which lies within Tewkesbury Borough Council. This, in turn, is linked to wider economic investment, including a government supported and nationally significant Cyber Park adjacent to GCHQ, predicted to generate c.7,000 jobs. The M5 J10 improvement scheme (Scheme or Project) is critical to achieving the vision set out above. The Scheme was also identified by Highways England in the Birmingham to Exeter Route Strategy as being critical to: (a) maintaining the safe and efficient operation of the M5 corridor; and (b) enabling the planned development and economic growth around Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury. A Business Case for the Scheme was submitted in March 2019 to the Housing Infrastructure Fund, wherein the investment case was made. Funding was awarded successfully by HIF in March 2020. Further general information regarding background to the Scheme and its current status in the project lifecycle can be found at the following web link:- www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/J10 Scheme Objectives • Support economic growth and facilitate growth in jobs and housing by providing improved transport network connections in west and north-west Cheltenham. • Provide the transport connections and network capacity in west and north-west Cheltenham to facilitate the delivery of housing and economic development sites allocated or safeguarded in the Joint Core Strategy. • Provide a transport network in the west and north-west Cheltenham area with the levels of service, safety and accessibility to meet current and future needs. • Deliver a package of measures which is in keeping with the local environment , minimises any adverse environmental impacts and meets GCC's ambition on sustainable growth, decarbonisation and net bio-diversity net gain. • Provide greater connectivity between Highways England's Strategic Road Network (M5) and the transport network in west and north-west Cheltenham. • Provide a more integrated transport network by providing opportunities to switch to more sustainable transport modes within and to west, north-west and central Cheltenham. The Authority is conducting the procurement using the restricted procedure in accordance with the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102) (PCR 2015) for the purpose of procuring the services and works described