PLANS to build a new road to ease congestion at one of Bradford’s busiest junctions have been approved.

Works to the Horton Park Avenue/Great Horton Road junction were one of a number of junction improvement projects proposed to help traffic flow better on the city’s ring road.

The works, expected to cost around £4.2 million, will involve a new road that will link Horton Park Avenue, near its junction with Cecil Avenue, with All Saints Road at its junction with Dirkhill Road.

It would be built on a field behind Horton Park Medical Centre on land that was a former railway site.

A planning application for the works was approved by Bradford Council this week, and work is expected to start late this year or early 2021.

But planning officers say parking enforcement will have to be stepped up in the area for the scheme to meet its true benefits.

Millions will be spent to improve some of Bradford's worst junctions

Other improvements at the site include the Great Horton Road/Horton Park Avenue junction being signalised, with two lanes inbound to the junction of Great Horton Road/Horton Grange Road/All Saints Road. All Saints Road will be changed to a one way southbound between Great Horton Road and Turner Place, and there will be improvements for cycling and walking at the junction. There will be a new pedestrian crossing across Great Horton Road, and new trees and wildflowers will be used to landscape the site after the road is built.

Planning officers said: “The scheme will result in the loss of an open area of grassland located between All Saints Road and Horton Park Avenue together with a number of trees located along its boundaries.

“The area of land is not currently used for any purpose and does suffer from fly tipping. The creation of a link road will allow a new landscaped scheme that will be beneficial to the streetscene and make it a more attractive place. A landscaped scheme has been submitted that shows the creation of wildflower meadows along the north western section of the new link road and on the existing open area on Horton Park Avenue.

“New tree planting is proposed within these areas and along the northern boundary of Horton Park Avenue.

“Whilst the creation of the new link road will visually change the character of the strretscene it is considered that the proposed landscaping scheme will help soften the impact and create a more useable area of greenspace than currently exists.”

There was one objection to the plan, which described the application as a “bad idea” and added: “There will be more traffic and the junction with Horton Park Avenue.”

As part of the application, a Road Safety Audit of the surrounding roads was submitted. The council said: “The Audit noted several instances and locations where parking restrictions were not adhered to with the potential to cause serious collisions. It is recommended that parking enforcement is implemented in the scheme extent. Furthermore, parking restriction enforcement is essential after scheme implementation to fully realise the benefits of the scheme and to provide a safe road environment to all road users.”

The other two junctions that make up the West Bradford Junctions Improvement Scheme are Toller Lane/Whetley Hill and Thornton Road/Cemetery Road. Applications for work to those junctions were approved last year.