A link road which will provide access to a brand-new community on the edge of Ashbourne will be officially opened next month – creating new jobs and homes, improving connectivity and reducing congestion.
The 720m road, called Harrison Way, will link the new roundabout on the A52 to Blenheim Road, which runs through the Ashbourne Airfield Industrial Estate, unlocking access to in excess of 40-hectares of brownfield development land.
The land will be developed to create Dales Park comprising a new business park, new commercial units, a pub, hotel, community facilities and more than 360 homes, providing a space where people can work, live, entertain and enjoy themselves.
The creation of Dales Park is expected to generate thousands of jobs and represents major investment in the area, which is already the largest employment location in the Derbyshire Dales.
More than 70 companies currently operate on the industrial estate employing around 2,000 people.
The development creates a piece of history for the Harrison family who run FW Harrison, which bought the land in the 1960s following closure of the former RAF Ashbourne air base.
Sixty years on, the family is finally putting its long-term purchase to good use and company directors Paul and Joanne Harrison are hailing the unveiling of the road as the moment the development can finally be declared open for business.
Joanne said: “Although the roundabout has been completed for some time, the link road has been delayed for a variety of reasons, including simple bad weather, and so we’re very excited to set a date for its opening.
“It will bring so many benefits to Ashbourne. Not only does it open up access to land for housing and commercial units, creating and securing jobs for the town, it also eases the bottleneck caused by there only being one access point to the airfield estate.
“And it also offers space for companies currently based at Ashbourne Airfield to expand. So many firms want to grow but don’t have the room, so this gives them the ability to expand without having to leave Ashbourne.
“We are very proud to have built Harrison Way for the community of Dales Park and it will be exciting to see this being developed.”
The project is being funded by the land’s owners FW Harrison Estates Ltd with support from Derbyshire County Council to enable the roundabout and link road construction.
The improvement works to the final stretch of Blenheim Road have been funded by Derbyshire Dales District Council, while a grant of £1m from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership helped towards the cost of the roundabout.
The completion of the link road scheme will deliver significant regeneration benefits for Ashbourne which is set to further benefit from the recent £13.37m Levelling Up fund award to improve the town centre.
A Derbyshire Dales District Council spokesman said: “The development of the former Ashbourne Airfield is a hugely significant regeneration project for the District Council. The site is key for economic growth in our district, providing much-needed jobs and homes. We are thrilled that ten years of work by Derbyshire Dales District Council has unlocked the regeneration of Ashbourne Airfield.
“This site is superbly located. The new link road will help address existing highway capacity problems and release the site’s enormous potential, providing expansion opportunities for local firms, serviced land to attract new firms, and local employment opportunities within the Derbyshire Dales district.”
Councillor Carolyn Renwick, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment, said: “We’re pleased to have played a key role in this project which is bringing huge economic benefits to the area.
“As well as unlocking development land to bring new jobs and housing to the area, the new road will help to reduce traffic delays in the town by easing congestion on Blenheim Road.”
Will Morlidge, Chief Executive of D2N2 LEP, said: “We were delighted to co-invest £1 million in the construction of the roundabout on the A52, and it’s great news that Harrison Way is now open, linking the roundabout to Blenheim Road. This means that the Ashbourne Airfield Industrial Estate can now be easily accessed, opening up opportunities for further investment and development.”
The official opening will be carried out on May 19 by Sarah Dines, MP for Derbyshire Dales, who has previously praised the project for its contribution to the region’s development.
