Commercial property specialists Bruton Knowles have welcomed a recent government pledge to tackle the problem of Gloucestershire’s A417 ‘Missing Link’.
The proposed A417 Loop will see a stretch of single carriageway between Nettleton Bottom and Crickley Hill replaced with a new dual carriageway.
The stretch of road is currently a notorious bottleneck and Robert Smith (pictured), of Bruton Knowles Gloucester office, believes its long-overdue improvement is vital if the growth of the local property market is to be maintained.
Describing the road as an ‘absolute nightmare’, Smith says that slowing traffic between the M4 and M5 is damaging to the local economy.
“A dual carriageway is going to be the best way to solve the problem. It should never have been finished with a single carriageway in the first place as it’s a real bottleneck.”
With a number of developments underway, Smith says that improvements to road connections will support the increasing levels of activity in both the residential and commercial sectors.
“With half a dozen schemes already on site the sector is busier than it has been for years,” he explains.
“Some of the sites which are now coming out of the ground have been sat on by developers for four or five years.
“There is far more confidence about now and it’s vital we have a road network which delivers.”
Bruton Knowles was established in Gloucester in 1862 and today has offices throughout England and Wales.
Story: Neil Bird
Photo: Empica
