Plans have been revealed which make part of Common Edge Road one-way. These proposals seek to alter the flow of traffic on the service road which provides access from Common Edge Road to the Lytham St Anne’s Garden Centre. The road, which is used to access Lytham St Anne’s Garden Centre and houses off Common Edge Road, is planned to be made one-way for all traffic. Under these proposals, access into the Garden Centre and all houses off the main highway would be from the northern access point with Common Edge Road, with exit via the wider southern junction.
The plans aim to reduce the risk of conflicts from passing traffic, particularly from heavy goods vehicles which use the road for deliveries. It would also reduce the risk of collisions by stopping cars from exiting the northern junction close to the busy School Road junction.
These changes are said to be necessary to reduce the risk of accidents once major alterations are made to create a new carriageway linking Common Edge Road with the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone.
The work includes reconfiguring the junction at School Road to ease congestion, and creating a new junction south of South Shore Cricket Club. It is proposed to make the Lytham St Anne’s Garden Centre access road one-way in a southerly direction.
The report setting out the proposal says: ‘The existing access at the north end was assessed at an early stage of the scheme and was deemed a safety concern for vehicles crossing multiple lanes of traffic, without adequate protection. The proposed egress at the southern end of the service road will reduce the risk of side swipe accidents associated with crossing multiple lanes of traffic.’
The proposal is ahead of a larger remodelling of Common Edge Road as part of the new highway into the Enterprise Zone, with work expected to start later this spring. These plans include a remodelled Common Edge Road which will include an improved junction into the Garden Centre, as well as widening of the junction between School Road and Common Edge Road.
The new link road will also connect Common Edge Road and Amy Johnson Way, providing a second entry and exit onto the business park and allowing expansion of the business park to create more jobs.
The new highway is part funded by a £7.5m grant from the Blackpool Town Deal, with the Council having until March 2026 to claim the funding.
Blackpool Council is the accountable body for Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, which is a 144-hectare site across Blackpool and Fylde and is earmarked to create 5,000 new jobs by 2041.
