Watch the route the Preston Western Distributor carriageway will take

Lancashire County Council has produced a video showing an aerial flyover view of the intended 4km route of the Preston Western Distributor dual carriageway and East West Link roads.

The route is shown alongside the sites of local landmarks such as The Saddle at Lea, the Sitting Goose pub at Bartle, Lea Endowed Primary School to the canal, Riversway and local lanes.

Residents have until February 12 to add their views to an online consultation about a pre-planning application for the City Deal funded road designed to link Preston and southern Fylde to the M55 The east west routes will link to new and existing housing in Cottam and Preston,

But while the video is welcome, one local parish council has already warned that there is an urgent need for action before the roads are even built.

The parish council says that there is a real need for roads to serve some 5,000 new homes planned or proposed for the locality.

Woodplumpton Parish Council clerk Julie Buttle said: “It’s not necessarily about what is being delivered – it’s how it is being delivered is the problem.”

She said work had already started on housing developments, but existing roads were not suitable for construction traffic and the council says there is an urgent need for a joint strategy between Preston City and Lancashire County Council to address this problem.

Some 540 residents attended three recent drop-in information events on the road and the county council received some 100 responses.

The 68 second video is entitled Preston Western Distributor Flyover and the consultation can be accessed via the county council website.

Cabinet member County Coun John Fillis said: “Following this consultation we will consider your comments to see if any improvements could be made, before the planning application is made later this year.”