Council leaders have insisted the M49 ghost junction farce is not their fault as they approved the forced sales of land to finally sort it out. But an opposition South Gloucestershire councillor criticised the debacle saying it was “very suspicious” that landowners could buy “ransom strips” to make money from the local authority, although there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.
Cabinet members agreed the use of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) while giving officers the go-ahead to continue negotiations to buy a patchwork of land parcels, wasteland, verges, drains and access rights, some as small as two square metres, belonging to various organisations and companies, including two based in Jersey. The motorway junction was built by Highways England, now National Highways, for £40million to £50million. Land sales are needed to join it to the local road network via a new 160-metre road, linking the giant nearby industrial estates and distribution centres, including Amazon, Lidl and Tesco.
The roundabout between Chittening and Severn Beach is currently unusable because the land issues were not resolved before it was completed in 2020, which means lorries have to take long diversions and clog up minor roads. A report to the council’s cabinet on Friday, February 10, said it was “highly unlikely” that the scheme could be finished without CPOs, not least because one of the plots’ ownership is not registered.
