PROTECTION safeguarding land in Yoxall for a future road scheme could be removed.
Staffordshire County Council currently protects nine highway alignments for bypasses or junction improvements, meaning plans to develop the land can be blocked if they would prevent transport infrastructure being delivered.
But the authority is now proposing to remove the protections for five of these alignments following a review, as they are no longer seen as necessary.
Among them is the Yoxall Bypass alignment, with a report to a cabinet meeting saying the route has policy support and has been "significantly" compromised by a residential development. It added that recent traffic management interventions on the nearby A515 have reduced the impact of HGVs through Yoxall.
Cllr Andrew Mynors, cabinet member for connectivity, said:
"Protecting land for possible future road schemes is an important planning tool, but it must stay up to date. Where there is still a strong case, we should continue to protect a route.
"But where a scheme is no longer supported by current plans, is unlikely to be delivered, or would not offer good value for money, it is right to give residents, landowners and developers clarity."
Other alignments, including the Dosthill Bypass in Tamworth, would be turned into active travel corridors, meaning they would be protected not for road schemes but for potential walking and cycling infrastructure instead.
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