An application has been submitted to the government for a multi-million pound upgrade of the A5.

If successful, £55million could be made available to transform part of the major route through Warwickshire.

Warwickshire County Council voted to lodge the bid with the Homes England Housing Infrastructure Fund.

It would see parts of the road upgraded to a dual carriageway and junction improvements carried out which could pave the way for new housing developments.

There are hopes the eight-figure sum could tackle congestion along the five mile stretch  between Dordon and Atherstone.

Councillor Andy Wright, who represents both Warwickshire County Council and North Warwickshire Borough council was pleased with the decision to back the application.

He said: “I am delighted to support this multi-million pound Housing Infrastructure Fund bid which has the potential to bring much needed road infrastructure improvements to the A5 on either side of Grendon.  

“This upgrade to the A5 will greatly improve the everyday commutes of local people. 

"It has been developed through effective partnership working between North Warwickshire Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council and Highways England.”


The money will come from the Homes England Housing Infrastructure Fund - a £5.5bn pot to help support housing growth - and the A5 Transport Corridor project in North Warwickshire made it through the initial selection stage.

The scheme will unlock a series of housing developments via the following network improvements.

  • Junction improvements at Dordon, Grendon and Atherstone. 
  • Upgrading the A5 to dual carriageway between Dordon and Grendon via offline dualling with connection to a new developer led link road between the A5 and B5000
  • Provision of sustainable transport improvements along the route such as facilities for walking and cycling.

It is expected that the newly constructed section of dual carriageway and junction improvements will be adopted and maintained by Highways England and form part of the A5 Strategic Road Network (SRN).

The existing single carriageway section would be de-trunked and adopted by the County Council which would maintain the road for local use with additional provision for walking and cycling.

This approach would be consistent with the wider strategic aspirations for the A5 corridor.

If the bid is successful, these works will become a catalyst for a series of wider strategic improvements along the A5 corridor. It is recognised that further works will be required on the A5 to accommodate North Warwickshire Borough Council’s full Local Plan aspirations.

A decision on the outcome of the bids is expected to be received during the summer 2019.

Download the CoventryLive app

Visit our Facebook pages for Coventry and Nuneaton or visit our Twitter pages for Coventry and Nuneaton

Watch our videos on YouTube and see our photos on Instagram

Find old stories in our online Archives and search for jobs, motors and property, or place an advert or family notice here