Leicestershire County Council is developing a long-term approach to ensure the region’s transport network can sustain projected population growth and ongoing development. The county’s population is forecast to rise by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2043, placing additional pressure on road capacity, freight routes, and commuter links that are already under strain.
Councillor Adam Tilbury, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said, “Population growth brings challenges, and we need to plan ahead. With several new Local Plans being prepared, it’s important we adopt this approach now.
“But regardless of whether new local plans come forward, population growth will place increased demands on Leicestershire’s transport system.
“In order for our strategy to be a success, we need to work with districts and feed into their local planning policies. This is vital to ensure new homes and jobs come with the infrastructure communities both want and need.
“Early work has highlighted some key schemes that we expect would make a difference to residents, and we hope that work to develop the strategy will go a long way to helping make these become a possibility.”
The proposed Spatial Development Strategy is expected to set out where major upgrades or new road schemes may be required, sitting alongside district-level Local Plans and reflecting feedback from businesses, residents, and elected representatives. It is intended to coordinate investment by bringing together developer contributions, government funding, and local capital to advance priority schemes.
Early candidates for development include a potential relief route to the south of Leicester connecting the A47 to a new M1 junction, improvements on the A6 corridor near Kibworth to ease traffic flow, and an assessment of the safeguarded Eastern District Distributor Road corridor in Oadby for future use. The strategy aims to give businesses and communities a clearer understanding of where infrastructure upgrades are most needed to support housing and commercial expansion across the county.
