Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The M5 Junction 9 and A46 (Ashchurch) Transport scheme would provide a new M5 Junction 9a south of Tewkesbury and re-route a section of the A46 between the M5 and Teddington Hands roundabout. The existing M5 Junction 9 would be kept open to maintain access to the M5 from Tewkesbury and Ashchurch, but long-distance A46 traffic would largely use the re-routed A46. The existing A46 through Ashchurch would cater for mainly local traffic.   

The scheme would provide benefits to Tewkesbury and Ashchurch residents and businesses by improving journey times and reliability on the local highway network to M5 Junction 9. Diverting long-distance traffic - including heavy goods vehicles - from the A46 through Ashchurch onto a new road will provide capacity for housing and employment opportunities, and crucially provide benefits to the existing communities, offering a more pleasant environment for residents and greater opportunities for walking, cycling and sustainable travel along the existing road. 

The scheme will rely on securing funding from Government to deliver it. At this early stage, no commitment can therefore be given to funding being secured for the scheme delivery. 

The case for improvements to the M5 Junction 9 and A46 through Ashchurch has become more compelling in recent years. Improvements would address the following issues:  

Upon opening, the scheme would also provide environmental improvements, including noise level reductions and improved air quality along the A46. This would benefit the existing communities along the A46, as well as those travelling through it on foot or by bicycle. 

We are seeking views on three potential route options for the western section of the scheme (Options 1, 2 and 3) and two potential route options for the eastern section (Options A and B). This provides a total of 6 no. individual potential route options, i.e., 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B.  

The potential route options are as follows: 

We have considered a range of options to the north and south of Ashchurch. Due to the short distance between M5 Junction 9 and M5 Junction 8, a new junction to the north of M5 Junction 9 would require the closure of M5 Junction 9 in order to comply with design standards (a minimum distance of 2km is required between junctions). Traffic modelling has demonstrated that relocating M5 Junction 9 would re-route local traffic through Tewkesbury and cause significant disruption on the local road network, and therefore potential route options include a new link to the south of Ashchurch.  

More northerly options such as re-routing the A46 from Evesham to M5 Junction 8 (M50 junction) were not formally considered since this would involve a much longer length of new road passing through environmentally sensitive areas including the River Avon floodplain and Cotswolds National Landscape area around Bredon Hill. The current options presented in the public engagement would involve construction of up to 5 miles of new road to form the re-routed A46. In contrast, to connect the A46 south of Evesham to M5 Junction 8 would require at least 8 miles of new road to route to the north of Bredon Hill, or 9 miles if starting north of Evesham. At least one major crossing of the River Avon floodplain would be required and with other environmental mitigations and upgrades needed to M5 Junction 8, the cost of such options would be around double that of the current options being presented. Furthermore, upgrading the A46 between Teddington Hands and Evesham is beyond the scope of this scheme which seeks to address the issues identified in the Ashchurch area as mentioned in the ‘Why is the scheme needed?’ section.  

For more information on the option selection process, see the option generation and sifting report which is available on Have Your Say (M5 Junction 9 and A46 (Ashchurch) Transport Scheme- Potential Route Options Engagement | Have Your Say Gloucestershire (engagementhq.com)). 

The scheme is estimated to cost between £740m and £930m to construct. This cost estimate includes provision for risk, uncertainty and inflation and are based on the scheme being constructed in the early 2030s.  

Further information is provided in the Analysis of Shortlisted Options report. 

The scheme will rely on securing funding from Government to deliver the scheme. At this early stage, no commitment can therefore be given to funding being secured for the scheme delivery. 

In 2019 Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) identified the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Large Local Majors (LLM) fund as an opportunity to develop a scheme of improvements at M5 Junction 9 and A46 (Ashchurch).  

GCC have funded options identification and Strategic Outline (Business) Case (SOC) development, which has now been submitted to DfT for approval.  Funding was also provided by the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) (now the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government) through Homes England during this stage.   

Subject to successful SOC approval, funding would be provided by DfT and GCC for Outline Business Case (OBC) development and the identification of a preferred route.  

It is currently proposed that, subject to an approved OBC and funding from the Department for Transport being in place, National Highways will take the scheme on to complete the Preferred Route Announcement and be responsible for detailed design and construction of the scheme. 

Planning law requires developers to contribute to transport schemes when the proposed developments impact local infrastructure. This can be through:  

The government-produced eligibility criteria for the Large Local Majors (LLM) fund. This specifies the type of schemes which can receive funding. Repairing potholes is not included in this list. Please see the following website for more information: www.gov.uk/government/publications/major-road-network-and-large-local-majors-programmes-investment-planning/major-road-network-and-large-local-majors-programmes-investment-planning-guidance.  

The revenue spent by Gloucestershire County Council to develop business cases for schemes helps to secure millions of pounds of investment for infrastructure (such as the M5 J9 and A46 Transport Scheme) which GCC would otherwise not have the ability to fund. 

GCC are promoting and investing in Stage 1 (options identification and strategic outline business case) and Stage 2 (option selection and outline business case) of the scheme. In addition to date, funding of £3m has been provided by the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (now Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government) through Homes England to support Stage 1. Subject to successful completion of Stage 1 and the Strategic Outline Business Case approval, GCC and the Department for Transport (DfT) would fund Stage 2.  Subject to Stage 2 approval, the scheme would be handed over to National Highways, at the end of Stage 2, and funded by DfT during the planning, design and construction stages.  

The unlocking of funding from the government for this scheme would reduce the overall costs incurred by GCC while providing direct benefits to the community in terms of reduced traffic congestion along M5 Junction 9 and A46 resulting in improved noise and air quality. The reduction in traffic congestion would also be beneficial in unlocking housing and employment opportunities in the area.   

A wide variety of route options have been considered and technically assessed for suitability. The council now plans to share these options with stakeholders, businesses, local communities and the public during the engagement exercise. This is the first stage of public engagement, with feedback being used to inform further options refinement and shortlisting. A preferred route option would only be identified following future public consultations. 

Your feedback is really important as it will help us identify and refine the potential route options to take forward for further consideration, should the scheme be progressed.

You can provide feedback to us in a number of ways: 

We are holding face to face engagement events where you can meet the project team, ask questions and provide feedback on the potential route options. The event details are as follows: 

Watson Hall,   

65 Barton Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 5PX  

Saturday 19 October 2024  

Opens: 10:00hrs Closes: 17:00hrs  

Northway Community Hub (Main Hall), 

Lee Walk, Northway, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 8QG 

Wednesday 23 October 2024 

Opens: 11:00hrs Closes: 16:00hrs 

Feedback received during the public engagement will be recorded and analysed. The content of feedback received will be categorised and broken down by sentiment, themes and respondent profile – helping us understand your comments and why you have made them. Should the scheme be progressed, we will use your feedback to further refine potential route options to ensure that any scheme would meet the needs and wants of as many people as possible.  

A summary of feedback received during the public engagement will be made publicly available in a formal report.

Studies are ongoing to fully assess the impacts of the options on the key environmental receptors. The results of initial environmental assessments completed to date are summarised in the Analysis of options report. 

As each option has limited design detail at this stage, it is difficult to outline specific proposed mitigation for each option. However, where environmental impacts have been identified, a mitigation hierarchy would be adopted to avoid impacts, then mitigate unavoidable impacts, and, as a last resort, compensate for unavoidable residual impacts which remain after avoidance and mitigation measures. Best practice design measure would also be adopted to mitigate any potential environmental impacts. 

GCC recognises the climate emergency and is committed to encouraging greater active travel and public transport use as affirmed in Gloucestershire’s Local Transport Plan 2020-2041. However, as driving is likely to remain a prominent mode of transport for the foreseeable future, the council also has a responsibility to ensure that the local road network is futureproofed. Gloucestershire is facing rapidly growing housing and employment needs, and the correct transport infrastructure must be provided to support this future growth. This scheme would be brought forward to ensure that the local network can cope with future traffic levels and best serve Gloucestershire’s growing population. 

The scheme would reroute long-distance traffic away from the existing A46 through Ashchurch on to the new road, the new route would become a strategic route operated and maintained by National Highways. This would enable delivery of an improved street environment through Ashchurch and support a shift to active and sustainable modes. By alleviating the existing A46 the scheme would also support sustainable local growth plans in Gloucestershire, with the old route passing through the Tewkesbury Garden Communities areas. 

Carbon emissions for each progressed option have been calculated.  In all cases, the impact of the Scheme on the UK Carbon Budgets is negligible. It is considered that the magnitude of emissions from the Scheme would not materially impact the Government’s ability to meet its Carbon Budgets and is unlikely to have a significant effect on climate. 

For more information on the carbon emissions by option, see the supporting information available on Have Your Say (M5 Junction 9 and A46 (Ashchurch) Transport Scheme- Potential Route Options Engagement | Have Your Say Gloucestershire (engagementhq.com)).