A46 Walsgrave Junction Upgrade

National Highways plans to upgrade the Walsgrave junction on the A46 following the completion of the Binley junction upgrade earlier this year.

The upgrades aim to:

• improve safety
• increase road capacity
• relieve traffic congestion
• smooth the flow of traffic 
• support the economy

The Walsgrave junction sits within the administrative areas of both Rugby Borough Council and Coventry City Council.

Statutory consultation

National Highways has now launched a statutory consultation on the plans.

The consultation runs from Wednesday 25 October to Wednesday 6 December 2023.

For more information about the consultation, visit the National Highways website.

Who makes a decision on the plans?

National Highways consider the upgrade to be a nationally significant infrastructure project, meaning the Secretary of State has responsibility for considering the formal application for a development consent order - a decision administered by the Planning Inspectorate's Infrastructure Planning Unit.

How do the plans progress?

National Highways has registered the project with the Infrastructure Planning Unit and it now progresses through the following stages:

• pre-application (currently being undertaken)
• submission of application and acceptance by the Planning Inspectorate (expected autumn 2024)
• pre-examination
• examination
• recommendation and decision
• post decision
• formal public consultation and statutory consultations (consultation on National Highways' preferred option took place in June 2022, further consultations to be confirmed)

Rugby Borough Council's role in the planning process

As a statutory consultee, the council has the following input into the planning process:

• the council has submitted a formal response to the scoping opinion, which can be viewed on the Planning Inspectorate's website
• during the current pre-application stage, the council has had the opportunity to input into the Statement of Community Consultation, which details how the public consultation - scheduled to take place from October to December 2023 - takes place
• the council intends to submit a formal written representation to the public consultation as a statutory consultee
• following the public consultation, the council submits an 'adequacy of consultation representation' to confirm whether it considered the consultation adequate
• the council intends to publish a 'local impact report', detailing the anticipated impact of the project on the borough and its communities
• the council has to agree a statement of common ground with the applicant (based on evidence-based assessments)
• council officers intend to attend any hearings or site visits during the planning process
• if necessary, the council intends to negotiate and enter into a Section 106 agreement with the owner/developer to secure relevant planning obligations

Further information

To find out full details of the A46 Walsgrave junction upgrade, including details of consultation events, visit the National Highways website.

Members of the public with questions about the project can call National Highways on 0300 123 5000 or email info@highwaysengland.co.uk.