Cheshire East Council invites comments on junction improvement scheme

Cheshire East Council is inviting residents to have their say on a £5m scheme to improve a key gateway into Macclesfield town centre.

Work on Flowerpot Junction – where the A536 Congleton Road/Park Lane, the B5088 Oxford Road and Ivy Lane meet – is due to begin in 2022 and will include new dedicated turning lanes to allow more traffic to pass through the junction at a time, new and improved pedestrian/cycle crossings and wider footpaths.

The scheme was given the go ahead by Cheshire East Council in March this year and residents are now being invited to take part in an online survey ahead of the final plans being drawn up. 

Councillor Craig Browne, chair of Cheshire East Council’s highways and transport committee, said: “The Flowerpot Junction is a key route into the town centre and, particularly at peak times, is also an area that experiences high levels of congestion.

“This scheme will increase capacity at the junction to ease existing levels of congestion and ensure that the road network is able to cope with any further demand as a result of planned developments around the town.

“Making investments in this part of the network will also support active travel – a key aim of the council’s corporate plan.”

The proposed improvements will introduce:

• A new dedicated right turn lane for vehicles turning out of Ivy Lane into Congleton Road,
• A new dedicated left turn lane for vehicles turning out of Park Lane into Congleton Road, and
• A new dedicated left turn lane for vehicles turning out of Oxford Road into Park Lane.

The plans include reconfiguring the layout of the existing pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities at the junction and installing upgraded crossings on the Ivy Lane and Congleton Road arms.In addition, they include widening the footpath along the south side of Park Lane leading onto Congleton Road and installing a new crossing island on the corner of Oxford Road and Park Lane.

The scheme – which is due to start in 2022 and take less than six months to complete – will be funded from a mixture of government grants, developer contributions, and the council's capital budget.

Cllr Browne added: “During the development of our plans for the Flowerpot Junction we received feedback from residents and other stakeholders and have made changes where possible, including some suggestions to improve the junction for pedestrians and cyclists.

“Now, as we get closer to beginning work on this junction, I’d like to encourage people to respond to our online survey so that they can share their views and help us to move forward with the best possible scheme.”

More information can be found at:

www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/flowerpot

If you would like to comment on the proposals, please complete the:

Flowerpot junction improvement online survey.

The survey closes at midnight on Sunday 25 July.