The A595 is a primary route in North Cumbria providing a vital, direct link from Carlisle, the North East and Scotland to and from West Cumbria and onwards to the A66 / M6. A reliable and resilient road network is essential to facilitate the delivery of investment in Cumbria to support economic growth and create jobs.
Cumbria County Council has been considering how journey time reliability and safety can be enhanced on this strategic link and has identified a number of improvements on the A595 in the vicinity of Bothel.
The A595 Bothel Strategic Improvement scheme covers a 5km length between Cock Bridge and the Threapland Junction.
An application has been submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) for Major Road Funding. The County Council is awaiting a decision on whether the application for funding has been successful.
In advance of a decision from the DfT, Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) in November 2020, agreed to provide £5m from the Ministry of Communities, Housing and Local Government (MCHLG) 'Getting Building Fund' to support further progression of the scheme. This included developing the design to the next stage (preliminary design), undertaking public consultation and submission of a planning application, as well as building the A595 Greyhound Inn/Torpenhow junction improvement.
In January 2022, the scheme was split into two distinct projects, with the Torpenhow Junction to be delivered as Project One under the CLEP funding and the wider scheme to be delivered as Project Two subject to funding approval from The Department for Transport (DfT).
Project Objectives
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Context - Make a significant contribution to the improvement of the transport network in the north west region improving the A595 link between Carlisle, Cockermouth and the west coast
Infrastructure - Improve access to regional economic centres and growth sites.
Flood Risk Management - Improve the resilience to the effects of climate change by attenuating flood water and the use of sustainable drainage.
Environmental Objectives
Rural and Natural Environment - Minimise impacts on the environment along the route corridor, seeking enhancements where practical
Active Travel - Maximise connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians, including links to existing provision and connectivity across the A595
Biodiversity - Minimise, where practical, the impacts on ecology and nature conservation and achieve a biodiversity net gain.
Economic Objectives
Economic Growth - Enable economic development and employment site improvement as a result of improved connectivity along the A595 west coast to Carlisle corridor.
Education and Training - Improve access to education and training opportunities by creating better connectivity between employment sites, residential areas and education/training facilities.
Transport Objectives
Journey Time - Reduce delays and improve journey time reliability for road users.
Connectivity - Improve links between major regional population, employment and service centres, including health and education.
Road Safety - Improve road safety on the existing network for all road users.
Scheme Development (2022)
Design and build contractor appointed (2022)
Story Contracting was appointed to complete the design and build of the Torpenhow junction and began working on the detailed design of the junction in February. Construction is proposed to begin in Summer 2022 with the project due be completed by Winter 2022/23.
Scheme Development (2020 - 2021)
Preliminary Design and Planning Application (2020 - 2021)
Using the Getting Building Funding, the Preliminary Design commenced in December 2020. This includes:
- Developing the concept design to a preliminary design
- Undertaking ecological surveys, ground investigation and topographical surveys to Inform the environmental assessment
- Preliminary design
- Public consultation
- Preparation of an Environmental Statement
- Planning application.
Scheme Development (2016 - 2019)
West of M6 Strategic Connectivity Study (2016)
The West of the M6 Strategic Connectivity Study (2016) (PDF 8MB) was undertaken by the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, in partnership with Highways England and Cumbria County Council. This study identified that the section of the A595 which needed further consideration to develop an improvement scheme was within the vicinity of Bothel.
Strategic Outline Business Case (2017)
A Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) was produced for the A595 and A66 corridors and brought together and prioritised all the potential improvements on the corridors. This demonstrated that the package of schemes could demonstrate high value for money and the section of improvement on the A595 identified in the West of M6 Study was identified as a priority in the SOBC for delivery between 2020 and 2025.
Outline Business Case (2018-2019)
Further scheme development was undertaken in 2018 and 2019 to support the selection of potential options for an improvement scheme. To ensure the best scheme was taken forward a route option review and sifting process was undertaken. The options were considered at workshops and then evaluated using the Department for Transport's Early Assessment and Sifting Tool (EAST). The potential value for money (VfM) of each option was estimated. This VfM of an option is a vital indicator of whether a scheme is worth progressing.
The A595 Improvement Non-Technical summary report (PDF 2MB) provides a summary of the scheme development and options appraisal to date.
An Outline Business Case (OBC) to apply for funding from the Governments - Department of Transport (DfT) Major Road Fund was submitted in Summer 2019. Dialogue with DfT about their consideration of the OBC is currently on going and the County Council is awaiting a decision on whether the application for funding has successful.
Next steps
The next steps and latest anticipated delivery dates:
Summer 2022 A595 Greyhound Inn/Torpenhow Junction improvement construction commences
Winter 2022/23 A595 Greyhound Inn/Torpenhow Junction improvement open to traffic
Construction of the scheme (excluding the Greyhound Inn/Torpenhow Junction) is subject to DfT MRN Funding.
Initial public consultation (November/December 2018)
An initial public consultation was held between 9 November and 7 December 2018.
Newsletter October 2018 (PDF 396kb)
First consultation document November/December 2018 (PDF 3MB)
Approximately 180 people attended the 2 consultation events held at Bothel Village Hall. 151 feedback forms were completed, and additional responses were received from parish councils and other organisations.
Follow up public consultation (June/July 2019)
The follow up consultation involved activity with a range of key stakeholders, media and the general public, and included a half day drop-in event at Bothel Village Hall, attended by 82 people. Further feedback on scheme progress was also received,
The follow up consultation response showed positive responses to all elements of the scheme, particularly to the upgrade of the junctions.
- June 2019 consultation exhibition boards (PDF 256KB)
- June 2019 exhibition plan (PDF 4MB)
- June 2019 consultation questionnaire (PDF 244KB)
Consultation on the A595 Greyhound Inn/Torpenhow Junction(January 2021)
The public and interested stakeholders were invited to share their views on the reconstruction of the A595 Greyhound Inn/ Torpenhow Junction in January 2021. This junction is one of the key junctions in the A595 Bothel Strategic Improvement which is a priority for the local community.
The consultation sought opinions on the different elements of the junction improvements and the work in its entirety. The focus of the consultation was to gather responses through a feedback form, although responses by other methods have also been received and considered.
Overall, the results of the public consultation show a high degree of satisfaction with the proposals when taken as a whole.
In terms of the individual elements there was feedback and additional comments suggesting a preference to retain the section of the Torpenhow road as a footpath/cycleway and for the design to incorporate additional provision for a pedestrian/cycle crossing of the A595.
- Public invited to have their say on proposed junction improvement on the A595 at Bothel
- A595 Bothel Consultation Leaflet (PDF 2.2MB)
- A595 Bothel Consultation Report (PDF 1.3MB)
Public Consultation (April-May 2021)
This public consultation was completed to gather feedback on the latest design prior to the submission of a planning application.
The public and interested stakeholders were invited to share their views on the whole scheme design via a Consultation Document (PDF 3MB) or through an online consultation questionnaire . There were also various opportunities to join the project team at virtual consultation events where attendees could listen to a presentation on the improvement, feedback on the latest design and to ask the project team any questions.
Virtual events were held on:
- Wednesday 28 April 2pm to 3.30pm
- Wednesday 5 May 6pm to 7.30pm
- Saturday 8 May 1pm to 2.30pm
A report analysing the results of consultation feedback has been produced.
Consultation Materials:
You Said we Did
Local knowledge is key, and the project team are using the feedback received from all consultation activities undertaken to date to develop the scheme design further and ensure the scheme is the best it can be.
A summary of the key 'you said, we did' scheme components:
| You said... | What we did... |
| you did not like the one metre strips either side of the A595 through Bothel | The one metre strips either side of the carriageway have been removed through Bothel village. |
| you had concerns about the closure of side roads | It is not proposed to close any side roads within Bothel village. Some field accesses and tracks will be diverted to connect to the A595 at safer locations where practical. |
| you wanted the option for a bypass to be reconsidered | A bypass was one of a number of options identified. When assessed it offered low value for money and therefore it would not be possible to secure funding. |
| reduce the speed limit on the A595 as it passes through Bothel | We have followed the statutory process to implement a reduced speed limit. A 50 mph speed limit was approved in November 2020 and has now been implemented. |
| improvements are required at other junctions such as at The Greyhound Inn | The scheme now includes improvements at the Greyhound Inn / Torpenhow Junction. This includes improved visibility and right turn lanes in each direction. The scheme proposals would significantly improve visibility from other side road junctions. |
| pedestrian crossing facilities are required | The scheme now includes improvements at the Greyhound Inn / Torpenhow Junction and the A591 Keswick Junction. These include a pedestrian refuge island and footpath connections. A footpath link has also been added to the west of Bothel. |
Newsletters
Newsletter - January 2022 (PDF 632KB)
Press releases
Design and build contractor appointed for A595 Torpenhow junction near Bothel
Local community feedback secures reduced speed limit in Bothel
Reminder to have your say on the A595 Bothel Consultation
Public invited to have their say on proposed junction improvement on the A595 at Bothel
Cumbria County Council welcomes £5m funding towards A595 improvements
Public invited to have their say on A595 Bothel improvement proposals
Torpenhow and Bothel pedestrian access update 2023
Torpenhow and Bothel pedestrian access update
Residents invited to A595 Torpenhow junction pre-construction event
A595 Torpenhow junction works update and drop-in-session planned
If you have any queries or comments regarding the A595 Bothel Strategic Improvement, please contact the project team at A595Bothel@cumbria.gov.uk