PLANS are in place to create a new junction that will improve access and traffic flow to a proposed housing development. 

Cumbria County Council has submitted a planning application to improve the road network around the proposed Marina Village development in Barrow. 

The work will involve widening the existing carriageway on the south side of Salthouse Road between Rawlinson Street and Ruskin Terrace, to accommodate a new right-turning lane onto the site. 

A short section of the new carriageway will lead off Salthouse Road and onto the Marina Village site. 

The junction scheme replaces initial plans for a roundabout which would have been built at the junction of Salthouse Road and Rawlinson Street

These new proposals also include new landscaping and grass verges, earthworks and perimeter fencing. 

It will also involve relocating the pedestrian pavement to realign itself with the new carriageway, in addition to building a new kerbed traffic island and improving road lighting, surfacing, road markings and traffic signs.

This new development, designed by Capita Property and Infrastructure, is part of a multi-million pound master plan to transform the derelict land into a booming business hub, an investment which has been secured by funding from the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.

Graham Haywood, director of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This is another key step forward to opening up the Barrow Waterfront site for business development, job creation and local housing opportunities. 

“Barrow Waterfront is a flagship site within our Strategic Economic Plan, but we can only unlock its full potential by investing in appropriate infrastructure development. 

"The junction design is being carefully considered to help ensure that this key strategic employment site, associated new housing and Marina Village itself is fit for purpose, both for local residents and the advanced manufacturing workforce.”

If planning permission is granted, a contractor could be appointed to begin work begin work as early as the summer, with completion scheduled for later in the year. 

Barrow Borough Council is the landowner of the Marina Village site and will be responsible for developing it as part of the Barrow Port Area Action Plan. 

With funding from the North West Development Agency and its own funds, Barrow Borough Council acquired the land around the proposed junction and has also set aside land required for Marina Village to allow for future housing development.