Plans to improve roads in the Kew roundabout area as part of the £17 million Southport Eastern Access (SEA) improvement scheme will be determined by Sefton Council’s Planning Committee next week.
Proposals have been put forward for the conversion of third party land to construct new pedestrian and cycling infrastructure around Kew roundabout.
Two applications will be determined next Wednesday (4th February 2026).
The first is for pedestrian and cycling provision on existing highway networks to Kew roundabout and the highways leading to / from it (Meols Cop Road, New Foul Lane, access to Tesco, Town Lane Kew and Scarisbrick New Road).
The second is for enhancements to pedestrian and cycling provision on existing highway networks to Foul Lane and New Foul Lane.
The application site comprises a mixture of highway, areas of designated open space, areas of informal open space / grass verges, and land from existing commercial sites.
The application site is within land designated as Meols Cop Retail Park, open space (Meols Park and land at Folkestone Road) and Southport Hospital.
Sefton Council recognises Southport’s Eastern Access as one of only three routes in and out of the town which sees tens of thousands of road users on its carriageways each year.
As the main road to the resort from the East, it gets extremely busy with motorists but is not as suitable for pedestrians, cyclists and those who don’t drive.
The £17 million Southport Eastern Access improvement scheme seeks to address some of these long standing issues as well as putting in place advanced active travel infrastructure that will vastly improve how people travel in and out of the town.
Reopening Foul Lane aims to provide an improved corridor for residential traffic to access the high density areas of Blowick and High Park, which will reduce the amount of congestion on Scarisbrick New Road and Meols Cop Road.
Improving junctions around Southport Road will also make accessing local retail parks much safer.
The report before councillors says: “The proposal is part of the Southport Eastern Access (SEA) improvement scheme, which aims to deliver a series of highway network upgrades on the Key Route Network (KRN).
“The improvements are designed to enhance access to and through the eastern approach to Southport Town Centre.
“The scheme includes new and upgraded junctions and walking / cycling routes along Scarisbrick New Road, Southport Road, Kew Roundabout, Foul Lane, Meols Cop Road, Norwood Road, and Haig Avenue.
“The SEA improvement scheme, which extends from Eastbank Street to Kew Roundabout and connects to Foul Lane and Meols Cop Station, is being delivered in phases.
“Phase 1, which covers the Bispham Road and Sussex Road junctions, is currently underway.
“The current application relates to the proposed construction of a continuous footway and cycleway along the eastern edge of Foul Lane, which is part of Phase 2, planned for delivery from 2026, subject to planning permission being obtained.”
The Southport Eastern Access scheme seeks to deliver highway improvement measures at a series of junctions and links on the eastern approaches to Southport improve access and safety for all road users to the town centre from the east.
The eastern approach to Southport from West Lancashire has often created a bottleneck for traffic when major events such as Southport Air Show take place, as well as during busy weekend periods. It also restricts access for people travelling between Southport Hospital and Ormskirk Hospital.
Funding will be received via the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA).
The LCRCA has received a City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement allocation from the Department for Transport to deliver highway improvement and maintenance projects throughout the City Region by March 2027.
An allocation of funding for £16.8 million has been identified to fund Southport Eastern Access projects.
It is recognised that careful planning and co-ordination of all the elements of work will be critical to ensure the works are delivered within the window and that disruption is minimised as far as possible.
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