£25m M1 junction improvement plans to move forward

A £25m improvement of a major M1 junction could move a step forward.Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet are to debate the plans for the proposed work at junction 23 and the A512 on Tuesday 25 June.The authority’s councillors are set to vote on whether preparations to deliver the project should continue and on approaching third parties to help with funding.The councillors will also vote on whether, if agreements can’t be reached, the work on the project should be suspended until the autumn.So far, £17m of grant funding has been secured towards the costs of the scheme with £12m coming from the Local Growth Fund (via the LLEP) and £5m from the Growth and Housing Fund (Highways England).The remainder of the scheme costs will be forward funded by the county council ahead of contributions from developers (currently estimated at approximately £8m).The council has said the scheme will reduce disruption on a critical part of the county’s road network, ‘future proof’ the area in preparation for planned growth and unlock employment and housing sites.