Decision on dualling of A1 in Northumberland is pushed back

A short statement on the planning inspectorate’s website confirmed that Secretary of State Mark Harper is still considering the plans.

And a follow-up ministerial update revealed that the new deadline for a decision in September 5, 2023.

The move has been met with frustration in parts of north Northumberland, with two previous deadlines having already come and gone this year.

In a written statement to the House of Commons in July, then-transport minister Grant Shapps confirmed that the deadline for a new decision would be December 5 – with the deadline having already been extended from January 5 to June 5.

If approved, the scheme would involve dualling eight miles of the A1 to a dual carriageway between Morpeth and Felton, as well as a further five miles between Alnwick and Ellingham.

It follows decades of campaigning to get the major road dualled throughout the county, with local politicians consistently pointing out that many rural residents have no realistic alternative mode of travel other than the A1.

Coun Isabel Hunter, who represents Berwick West with Ord on Northumberland County Council and runs a haulage business, said residents deserved an answer.

Coun Hunter said: “I’m disappointed at the fact that they have promised an announcement on December 5 and not delivered – it’s actually really important that we find out either way.

“I would hope that the Government looks at Northumberland favourably, and we get what was supposed to go ahead. If it’s a no, it says we are forgetting the northern part of England. We’re used to that.

“I’m very disappointed that we’ve still not got an idea to whether it’s a yes or no. Just let us know, just put us out of our misery.

“At the end of the day, we have had all these false promises for all these years, but we thought this was going to get the go-ahead. We’re just asking them to get on with it.

“It worries me that the longer it is, the answer is going to be no. I will believe it when there’s diggers on site and spades in the ground.”

Coun Hunter also pointed out that the move would increase road safety. The A1 goes through some of the most rural parts of Northumberland, meaning it is often used by slow farm vehicles.

Coun Hunter added: That’s when accidents happen, because people end up having enough and start taking risks. It’s innocent people that get hurt.”

Hopes that the project would finally be completed were raised under Liz Truss’s brief tenure as Prime Minister. Berwick MP Anne Marie Trevelyan was made Transport Secretary while Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s now infamous mini budget contained a list of infrastructure projects across the country the Government wants to get started on by the end of next year, including the dualling of the A1.

However, with Ms Truss’s resignation and a new set of ministers, the plans remain in limbo once again.

The Department for Transport has been contacted for comment.