Lancaster Canal which would be crossed on the route

The route of a link road first mooted in the mid-1970s is to be displayed at a series of public events in June.

Known as the Preston Western Distributor the £105 million road is part of the City Deal.

Lancashire County Council are consulting on their proposed route for the road which will skirt the Western edge of Preston.

It will be 4 kilometres long and is joined by an East-West link road and a Cottam link road.

In April the county council applied to Preston City Council for permission to scope the route and submitted an environmental report.

The route stretching from the M55 and down to the A583 at Lea can be seen in the diagram below:

Route of the proposed link road © Crown copyright. Lancashire County Council. Licence No. 100023320 2004

County Councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport for Lancashire County Council, said: “We’d like to use this consultation as an opportunity to explain how we’ve come up with the preferred route for these roads, and to give people the chance to tell us what they think. This is very much a partnership project, we believe that the public are a major part of the partnership, and look forward to working with them.

“Agreeing a preferred route is a very early step in the process of planning the road and there will be further formal consultation as we progress towards a planning application.

“Our transport masterplan for central Lancashire recognised that the existing transport network serving Preston and the wider area is becoming increasingly congested, and that as well as making it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport, a number of new roads will be needed to keep the county moving.”

Mick Lovatt, director of environment, Preston City Council, added: “The Preston Western Distributor is vital to ensure our road network has the capacity to support new housing and business development on strategic sites identified in the Local Plan, and that the thousands of new jobs and homes promised by the City Deal can be delivered.”

Three public exhibitions are being held for the public to give their views on the route.

Monday 2 June, 10am to 8pm – An exhibition bus will be parked at the Smiths Arms, Lea Lane, Lea Town, PR4 0RP.

Wednesday 11 June, 10am to 8pm – Preston Grasshoppers, Lightfoot Green Lane, Preston, PR4 0AP.

Thursday 12 June, 10am to 8pm – Ashton and Lea Golf Club, Tudor Avenue, Lea, Preston, PR4 0XA.

You can also fill out a questionnaire on the county council website.

The consultation runs from Thursday 29 May to Sunday 13 July.

What do you think of the proposed route? Do you live in the area? Let us know in the comments below