COUNCILLORS are set to press ahead with a £34.2 million upgrade to seven roundabouts on York’s Outer Ring Road - designed to allow for future dualling.

Compulsory purchase orders need to be prepared to ensure that landowners unwilling to sell their land do not delay the scheme, says a report to City of York Council’s executive on Thursday.

The report by Neil Ferris, Corporate Director for Economy & Place, says there is “no funding of the magnitude required available at this time for dualling”.

But it was written before Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced last week that councils would be able to bid for money from a new £1 billion Government fund to help them tackle congestion.

York Outer MP Julian Sturdy has suggested this could provide York with the opportunity to finally dual the congested road.

The Press launched a Dual Them! campaign on Saturday, calling for both the ring road and the A64 east of York to be turned into full dual carriageways.

The report says the council’s aim is to upgrade the seven junctions between the Wetherby Road and Monks Cross junctions to a similar standard as the A19 and A59 roundabouts, which have already been enhanced, for example by widening approaches to roundabouts to three lanes.

“According to the modelling already undertaken, the expectation is that these upgrades will provide an overall 18-20 per cent improvement in journey times at peak periods,” it says.

It says preliminary design work has demonstrated that land will be required at all junction sites for the delivery of the improvements.

It warns there is a high risk some landowners will be unwilling to sell land to the council by private agreement, or in a timely manner, potentially prolonging the time to complete the overall project.

To mitigate this risk, the report recommends the preparation of compulsory purchase orders in parallel to land negotiations.

It says consultation is planned with local residents, businesses and stakeholders at each of the junction upgrades, generally in the form of a leaflet drop and press release to publicise a local exhibition.

Two of the proposed upgrade locations - the Haxby Road and Strensall Road junctions - will require planning permission to go ahead.