A DECISION to put the East of Otley Relief Road out to tender is set to be taken by Leeds City Council.

The creation of a 1.5km road, linking Pool Road with Leeds Road, is needed to allow the long anticipated 550 home East of Otley housing scheme to proceed.

The council has already secured £6.3 million of government funding for the road and has also agreed to provide nearly £2.25 million of its own money, to be recouped from the developers.

The authority has now published a ‘forthcoming key decision’ to authorise putting the project out to tender in what Councillor Colin Campbell (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon) said was a welcome sign.

He said: “I’m pleased to see the project is still on track. The road when completed, hopefully in a couple of years, will reduce traffic within the centre of Otley and help create a safer and more pleasant environment for pedestrians and cyclists.”

The council has described the East of Otley scheme as ‘a significant opportunity to deliver a high quality mixed use and sustainable extension of Otley’.