PLANS for a £64m relief road in the South East of Bradford have been completely scrapped – but not before more than £1m was spent on the scheme.

Bradford Council has said that the upcoming tram system between Bradford and Leeds was one of the reasons the long-planned South East Bradford Access Road was no longer needed.

But one of the area’s Councillors has said the pricey project was always on a “road to nowhere” and should have been binned years ago.

The project would have seen a new route created between Holme Wood and Westgate Hill Street in Tong, easing congestion on Tong Street and in the Holme Wood Estate.

Transport bosses said the road, which was expected to cost around £64m, would “improve travel times, attract more business and unlock land for 2,500 new homes". 

However, it was one of several infrastructure projects to be “paused” in 2022 due to rising costs but that could be restarted once new funding became available.

At a meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority today, transport bosses will reveal that the scheme has now been fully scrapped.

This decision has only been made after the Combined Authority spent £1,031,650 on developing the plans over the past several years.

A report to the meeting says the Combined Authority’s executive director for transport effectively closed the project earlier this month.

It says an outline business case for the scheme should no longer be drawn up.

The Combined Authority was expected to provide around £46.3m of funding for the scheme.

The road proved controversial as it would have likely involved building on areas of green land between Bradford and Leeds.

Although much of the funding would have been provided by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Bradford Council would be the lead organisation behind the project.

When asked about the scrapping of the relief road, a Council spokesman pointed out that the Bradford to Leeds tram line that was revealed this summer meant the road project was no longer a high priority.

That tram system, the first part of a wider West Yorkshire Mass Transit system, will see trams passing between the two cities, making regular stops in between.

Bradford Council’s preferred route would pass near the relief road route – and include a stop in Holme Wood.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “The primary motivation for considering an access road for South East Bradford was to unlock much-needed housing development and more broadly to support wider economic growth at key strategic employment sites in the wider surrounding area.

“Since its inception a number of key factors have changed, including the changing locations of new housing and economic development in this part of West Yorkshire and the proposed plans for the new mass transit system to serve urban areas in the south-eastern part of the Bradford district and west of Leeds, which would provide a more sustainable transport solution to existing and new communities than an access road.

“In light of this we believe it will be possible to deliver sufficient homes and jobs for Bradford district without the need for an access road, which will be quicker and more financially effective in the current climate against a backdrop of high inflation in recent years.”

Councillor Matt EdwardsCouncillor Matt Edwards (Image: T&A)

Councillor Matt Edwards (Tong) and leader of the Greens on Bradford Council, said: “I welcome the news that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have finally decided to officially ditch plans for a by-pass through the Tong and Fulneck Valley.

“£1 million of public money has been wasted with absolutely nothing to show for this – but it’s hardly surprising given Labour’s track record in Bradford.

“Tong Ward Green Party councillors and local campaigners have said all along that this was a road to nowhere and had no chance of being built. The Valley is the last significant area of green space between Leeds and Bradford and is well-used by residents on all sides. It would have been a travesty to build a new road right through the middle.

“But this was always a pet project of the current Labour administration who have dragged this on for too long – and wasted taxpayers money in the process. The funds would always have been better spent being toward improving Tong Street – a scheme Bradford has been waiting decades for.”