Neighbours of Wakefield's eastern relief road get £2m in compensation

Around £2m worth of compensation has been paid out to neighbours of Wakefield's eastern relief road.
The road opened in 2017.The road opened in 2017.
The road opened in 2017.

Wakefield Council said it had reached settlements with 400 people whose properties all fell in value because the bypass, now named Neil Fox Way, was built.

The £2m bill was footed mainly by the taxpayer, but did include some cash from construction firms building new homes in the area. The overall figure also includes fees paid to solicitors and agents.

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Further claims are yet to be settled, more than three years after the road was opened.

The bypass has helped to cut journey times, according to regional transport chiefs.The bypass has helped to cut journey times, according to regional transport chiefs.
The bypass has helped to cut journey times, according to regional transport chiefs.

Linking the north end of Wakefield by Pinderfields Hospital to Doncaster Road in the south of the city, the bypass was designed to ease congestion around Wakefield city centre and form the base for around 2,500 new houses.

The council's service director for the environment, Glynn Humphries, said: "When a new road is constructed local authorities are required to compensate landowners and tenants if the value of their land falls due to factors caused by work to highways such as noise, vibration, smell, fumes, smoke and artificial lighting.

“Following the construction of the Wakefield eastern relief road, the council is now settling compensation claims, including interest, legal and agents fees to property owners for claims which have been agreed.”

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Dubbed one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects for Wakefield in recent decades, transport chiefs claimed in 2018 that the bypass had cut rush hour journey times by 12 minutes.The road was a source of controversy earlier that year when drivers complained of being confused by the speed limit The council later clarified it was 30 miles per hour.

Roadworks are currently taking place at the northern end of Neil Fox Way, close to its junction with Aberford Road.

Local Democracy Reporting Service