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M5 Junction 10

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Need for the scheme

The scheme will see significant improvements to M5 Junction 10, a new road linking junction 10 to west Cheltenham and widening of the A4019 Tewkesbury Road.

New housing and employment sites are proposed for development close to junction 10 on the M5, including the west and north-west Cheltenham developments. To unlock these housing and job opportunities, we need to ensure that there is sufficient highway capacity to accommodate the increased motorised and non-motorised traffic these will generate.

Several of our policy documents have identified improvements to M5 Junction 10 as a key component for delivering new housing and improvements sites for development to the west of Cheltenham.

An all movements junction has been identified as a key infrastructure requirement needed to enable the housing and economic development proposed by the Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership's Strategic Economic Plan and is central to the transport network sought by the council in our adopted Gloucestershire Local Transport Plan.

The planned housing and economic growth have been included by Cheltenham Borough, Tewkesbury Borough and Gloucester City Councils in the adopted Joint Core Strategy.

In addition, National Highways has also identified that significant growth planned for this area would require improvements to M5 Junction 10 to maintain the safe and efficient operation of the M5 corridor. We will continue to work closely with National Highways so that the construction of this much-needed improvements scheme works for all road users.

Objectives of the scheme:

  • Support economic growth and facilitate growth in jobs and housing by providing improved transport network connections in west and north-west Cheltenham.
  • Enhance the transport network in the west and north-west of Cheltenham area with the resilience to meet current and future needs.
  • Improve the connectivity between the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and the local transport network in west and north-west Cheltenham.
  • Deliver a package of measures which is in keeping with the local environment, establishes biodiversity net gain and meets climate change requirements.
  • Provide safe access to services for the local community and including for users of sustainable transport modes within and to west and north-west Cheltenham.

Scheme delivery

We are leading delivery of the scheme, in collaboration with National Highways and other partners. Early site works will be carried out by our appointed contractor Galliford Try. 

Completion of the scheme will:

  • Create around 12,000 skilled jobs for local people
  • Enable delivery of up to 15,000 new homes - including 5,250 that are affordable
  • Support the Golden Valley development and the National Cyber Innovation Centre and technology cluster
  • Build on the successful delivery of the £33 million Arle Court Transport Hub

Funding for the scheme

Funding for the scheme has been secured from a range of sources. So far, contributions have been secured from: UK Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, administered by Homes England; district council Community Infrastructure Levy funding; Gloucestershire County Council; and S106 contributions from developers whose sites will directly benefit from the scheme.

Statutory consultation

We ran a statutory consultation for 10 weeks from 8 December 2021 until 15 February 2022. The purpose of the consultation was to gather feedback on the three proposed scheme elements: improvements to junction 10; the west Cheltenham Link Road (including Withybridge Lane); and widening of the A4019 Tewkesbury Road (including Gallagher Retail Park junction).

The local community and other stakeholders were invited to share their views on the most recent proposals for the scheme via a feedback survey. The council also ran a series of face-to-face and virtual consultation events, where the project team presented the proposed scheme designs and answered questions from attendees.

A total of 579 survey responses were received during the consultation period. 74% of survey respondents strongly agreed or agreed with the proposed improvements to M5 Junction 10.  This is consistent with the results from the non-statutory consultation held in autumn 2020.

In response to the views provided throughout the consultation and the feedback survey, we have made the following changes to our scheme proposals:

  • Allowing right turns off the A4019 at the Gallagher Retail Park junction.
  • Keeping Withybridge Lane open, understanding that respondents do not want access restricted.
  • Extending the segregated footway and cycleway on the A4019 and Junction 10 (within our scheme boundary).
  • Rearrangement of proposed new junction locations on the A4019, addressing residents’ concerns around safety and access.
  • Keeping access open for people and livestock under the River Chelt bridge.

Options consultation

Prior to the statutory consultation, we undertook an options consultation in autumn 2020. The purpose was to gather feedback on the options for the M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme. The majority of participants (84%) agreed that there was a clear need for the scheme. The preferred public option was Option 2. This involves upgrading the existing junction with a grade separated roundabout centred on the existing junction. On 16 June 2021, we published our preferred route announcement (PRA) stating that we were progressing with Option 2.