Wednesday 22 March 2023

PLANS TO upgrade the A164 between Beverley and Cottingham to a dual carriageway have been dropped on cost grounds, according to East Riding councillor Paul Nickerson. In a posting on his Facebook page he revealed the plan now is to construct a dual carriageway section between Jock’s Lodge and the Skidby roundabout, but to retain the section between Skidby and Castle Hill as a single carriageway.

The Department of Transport approved the original scheme, including the upgrade of Jock’s Lodge, in 2018 and planning approval was subsequently confirmed in October 2021. At this point the scheme cost was estimated at £61.8m, including a Government contribution of £40.8m, Cllr Nickerson says. 

He continued: “The current estimated cost of constructing the full scheme is now over £100m. The DfT has made it clear that scheme promoters bear the risk of any cost increases … and has suggested that the council needs to explore options to make the scheme more affordable.” The estimated cost of the revised plans, with the improvements to Jock’s Lodge retained, is put at £86.9m, he says.

POLICE have issued an appeal to help find a missing 36-year-old York man who is believed to have been in the Beverley area. Thomas Beattie (pictured), from the Strensall area, has been missing since the weekend and North Yorkshire Police posted an urgent plea to help find him. A spokesperson told us: “If you have seen him over the weekend please call 101, option 1. For immediate sightings, call 999.”

A GROUP of Yorkshire MPs have come together to campaign for a new rail link between York and Hull. Beverley MP Graham Stuart is joined by Dame Diana Johnson (Lab, Hull North), Sir Greg Knight (Con, East Yorkshire), David Davis (Con, Haltemprice and Howden), Emma Hardy (Lab, Hull West and Hessle), Julian Sturdy (Con, York Outer) and Rachael Maskell (Lab, York Central), who have all announced they will work together to get the project to the point where it can be considered as one of Britain’s new railways under the Restoring Your Railway Fund.