Kendal’s proposed Northern Access Route has been rejected for government funding, leaving the town without a planned bypass while motorists face another overnight M6 closure that is expected to send diverted traffic through Kendal.
Westmorland and Furness Council announced the decision on Monday 12 October 2026. The single-carriageway route would have linked the A591 Windermere Road with the A6 Shap Road north of Kendal, taking traffic around the northern edge of the town.
The council said the government had decided the scheme “will not be part of its road and rail investment programme”. It described the decision as “extremely disappointing” and said it would seek a meeting with the Department for Transport to challenge the reasons behind it.
Why the council wanted the route
Councillor Peter Thornton, the council’s cabinet member for highways, said the scheme remained “a long term aspiration” for the administration. He argued that the road would make Kendal’s transport network more resilient, particularly when traffic is diverted from the M6 through the town.
The council also said the route could reduce congestion and improve air quality in Kendal, where historic streets are dealing with modern traffic volumes. However, the council’s announcement did not state why ministers had rejected the funding or when the authority had been informed.
The council said a minister had indicated that the decision did not prevent the scheme being considered in the future. No Department for Transport document setting out the decision or minister’s letter had been found on GOV.UK by 13 October, according to the supplied report.
Funding had already disappeared from the national programme
The route had been included in the Department for Transport’s Major Road Network and Large Local Majors funding programme as a scheme “under consideration” on 8 July 2025. Following a review of 41 schemes, the department announced on 26 March 2026 that 16 would proceed subject to business cases. Kendal’s route was not among them.
The council’s own capital programme also contained only £9,000 for the route in 2026, with no funding listed for later years. That means there is no money in the authority’s forward plans to build the road, despite the council continuing to describe it as a long-term objective.
Next M6 closure is planned for October
The council’s argument for the relief road is closely linked to disruption on the M6. National Highways plans to close the northbound motorway between junctions 36 and 39 overnight from 8pm to 5am on 27 and 28 October, while it repairs surfacing and expansion joints in the Lune Gorge.
The signed diversion will direct traffic from junction 36 along the A590 and A591, then via the A5284 Windermere Road into Kendal. Drivers will continue north on the A6 over Shap before using the B6261 to return to the M6 at junction 39. These are the two roads the proposed Northern Access Route would have connected north of the town.
National Highways is also planning a seven-week public consultation in February 2027 on options for the Lune Gorge bridges.
Small-scale transport projects put forward
With the relief road not moving ahead in the foreseeable future, Councillor Thornton pointed to other transport work, including the Grizebeck scheme, A66 dualling, support for bus services and active-travel projects. He said the council would continue working with partners such as Kendal Futures on the resilience of Kendal’s roads.
A study presented to the South Lakeland Locality Board identified more than 600 possible small improvements for walking and cycling in Kendal. Each could cost up to £50,000, with a combined potential cost of more than £6 million. Councillors were given three options for an early package of works, subject to a funding allocation expected “in the Autumn”.
A separate study funded by Kendal Town Council sets out proposals for new and improved cycle parking across the town.
The South Lakeland Locality Board meeting on Thursday 15 October was due to take place at 6pm at Kendal Town Hall. Its agenda included the highways report and 20mph decisions for Burneside and Grasmere. The council said it would report what the Department for Transport says if its requested meeting goes ahead.