Cheshire East Council has been notified by the Secretary of State for Transport today (January 27th) that the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) and Side Roads Order (SRO) for the road scheme have been confirmed.
Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for the department for Communities and Local Government, also confirmed the Section 19 certificate in respect of public open space to be included in the £290m project.
Confirmation of the orders now allows Stockport Council, on behalf of its partners Cheshire East and Manchester City councils, to progress the project to the construction phase.
It is anticipated that some environmental works could start before the end of February, with the main contract works commencing in March 2015. The works are expected to take around two and a half years and the road should be open to traffic by autumn 2017.
Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council said: "This announcement is great news for the North West. As part of our 'putting residents first' initiative, we are committed to developing the economy and infrastructure of Cheshire East and the wider region to ensure it remains a fantastic place to live, work visit and do business.
"SEMMMS will provide enhanced east-west strategic connectivity across the north of the Borough and improved access to employment opportunities at Manchester Airport and the Airport City Enterprise Zone.
"The announcement is a key step towards being able to deliver the Poynton Relief Road, which will relieve congestion in Poynton and provide improved connectivity to the strategic highway for the northern Macclesfield business area.
"We as a Council are committed to encouraging economic growth, nurturing new business opportunities and improving lives within the Borough. Overall, the SEMMMS scheme will bring significantly-improved connectivity and employment benefits.
"We are delighted that the Secretary of State has considered the Public Inquiry Inspector's report and confirmed the orders, which will allow an early start on the construction of the road scheme to be undertaken."
The proposed scheme will provide approximately 10km of dual carriageway, linking the A6 at Hazel Grove to the eastern end of the existing A555 at Woodford Road, Bramhall and from the western end of the existing A555 at Wilmslow Road, Handforth to Manchester Airport.
For further information on the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road visit www.semmms.info.
