Protesters urged to demand Government rethink at scrapping £100 million A47 upgrade at Peterborough
Protesters opposed to plans to axe the £100 million A47 dualling near Peterborough are being urged to lobby the Government for a rethink.
The move comes as Department for Transport chiefs outline their intention to officially revoke the Wansford to Sutton Development Consent Order for a 1.6 mile stretch of highway that was put in place three years ago to allow the works to go ahead.
Officials say the cost of the scheme, put at £100 million, did not represent value for money.
In a public notice released by the DfT yesterday (March 25), officials state: “The Secretary of State is satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances, namely that following the 2025 Spending Review, the government chose not to continue its commitment to funding this scheme.
"Accordingly, the Secretary of State proposes to exercise the power to make an order to revoke the Development Consent Order.”
It comes nine months after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander first announced that the project was being scrapped.
But residents who oppose the project’s cancellation can object to the decision by writing or emailing their concerns to the Department for Transport.
Supporters of the project say improving the road is vital to ensure business growth with the A47 acting as a gateway to the A1 and connecting the East to the Midlands and the rest of the country.
It is an area rich in a range of businesses such as advanced manufacturing and engineering, agri-tech and agri-food.
They say the dualled A47 would have improved journeys and safety, reduced congestion, and supported economic growth.
"We’re calling calling on Government to think again”
Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow, who is chair of the A47 Alliance, which campaigns to dual the whole of the route between the A1 at Peterborough and Lowestoft in Suffolk, said: “We’ll be raising objections to this proposed revocation and calling on the government to think again.
"Over half of the A47 is still single carriageway and that’s not good enough.
"Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and the whole East of England deserve better than cancelled infrastructure – it sends completely the wrong message.”
"The government was badly wrong to withdraw funding from this scheme and this retrograde step goes further by preventing alternative ways to fund and deliver this vital infrastructure.
"Our Local Growth Plan sets out an ambition to triple the size of our economy by 2050 – the kind of growth Government says it wants.
"The A47 Wansford to Sutton scheme would have supported this mission, while also cutting congestion."
"Vital east-west strategic road”
Councillor Graham Plant, A47 Alliance Vice-Chair, said: “This dualling scheme is key to achieving the A47 Alliance’s ambition of a fully dualled A47 from Peterborough to Lowestoft which will help unlock huge benefits across the region by improving safety, journey times and reliability, and enabling growth.
“An enormous amount of work has been completed to get the Wansford to Sutton dualling project to a point where it is shovel ready, and its cancellation and revocation of the Development Consent Order will see this work largely wasted and the problems on the road remaining.
“The A47 Alliance will continue to lobby government for investment in this vital east-west strategic road.”
“Doubts about financial viability”
However, doubts about the financial viability of the project have previously been voiced by North West Cambridgeshire MP Sam Carling.
Commenting on the decision in July last year, Mr Carling said: “No one wants to see investment pulled from our area, and I know many residents will be disappointed that dualling this road won’t go ahead.
"But we’ve also got to be honest about whether this project really stacked up.
"The project has long divided views locally – this was a 1.6-mile stretch of road, with costs of up to £100 million – that’s around £40,000 per metre.
He added: “I’ll be working with residents to explore other options for how we can support safety and faster journey times in this area - in particular through continued pressure to resolve the ongoing issues on the A1."
How do I object to the Transport Secretary’s decision?
To submit an objection to the DfT’s decision to revoke the dualling plans, email [email protected] and quote reference @A47 Wansford to Sutton’
Or, you can write to
Department for Transport Great Minster House 33 Horseferry Road London, SW1P 4DR
Or, you can telephone 0300 330 3000.