Planning row erupts after council forces 15 families to move out of their homes only to scrap plans to convert houses

A row erupted after a council forced familes to move out of their homes to make way for a road extension only to see the scheme scrapped.

National Highways purchased 15 large detached properties on Queensway in the Markeaton area of Derby, spending upwards of £6million of public money, as part of the long-planned A38 expansion scheme.

The houses, ranging from four to six bedrooms, have sat vacant and boarded up for a decade, their gardens left to grow wild behind metal fencing.

The street has attracted vandals and so-called "urban explorers" who have nicknamed it "ghost street," with hundreds of thousands of pounds additionally spent on security.

Earlier this month, the Government indicated the project is likely to be axed as the Department for Transport was instructed to find savings of up to £700million from its roads budget to fund the Defence Improvement Plan.

John Jerram, 88, sold the property he shared with his wife Dorothy, 85, in 2020 after living there for 18 years.

He told MailOnline: "It breaks my heart every time I go past. We had a beautiful garden and a greenhouse and everything. It was at a much reduced price. We got a tiny bit of compensation which paid for us to have a holiday and that was it."

Kerry Toolan, 51, a cleaning business owner who resided on Queensway for five years with her husband Peter and their children, described the squandered expenditure as infuriating, adding: "I know the majority of other people there were absolutely devastated and it does all seem a ridiculous waste of time and money."

Gail Roberts, 67, who has multiple sclerosis, was the final resident to depart, reaching a settlement with National Highways in 2023 after inspecting 92 potential new homes.

She branded the entire endeavour "a criminal waste of taxpayers money."

The A38 transformation was originally proposed a quarter of a century ago but has been plagued by repeated delays, legal disputes and public opposition.

Under the scheme, three major roundabouts along one of Derby's most congested routes would have been upgraded with flyovers, underpasses and additional lanes.

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Environmental campaigners mounted a successful legal challenge in 2021, arguing the works would destroy close to 12 hectares of woodland while worsening carbon emissions and air quality.

A revised version of the scheme subsequently secured approval.

The project finally received the green light in March, with construction pencilled in for 2028.

Yet within months it was earmarked for cancellation after the Government ordered the Department for Transport to slash its roads spending to help finance the Defence Improvement Plan.

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward condemned the proposed cancellation of both the A38 and A46 schemes as "completely unacceptable," noting she had not been consulted before the cutbacks were announced.

The Labour mayor said: "What I cannot understand is why the only region being asked to lose £900 million of investment into its roads is the East Midlands, that is not equitable and fails to recognise the decades of underinvestment that have preceded today's decision."

Derby City Council leader Nadine Peatfield acknowledged the scheme remained a source of division in the city and called for a fresh round of public engagement.

She said: "It has been 25 years since the original consultation, and there have been significant changes during that time. The Government must balance the nation's defence needs with the needs of the city that provides that defence."

However, the Stop The A38 Expansion campaign group, which has fought the project for years on both environmental and economic grounds, welcomed the news.

Clare Wood from the group said: "It is right that this wasteful, outdated road scheme is halted as all it would do is inflict harm on local residents' health and the environment with no justifiable benefits."

Transport Action Network, which advocates for more sustainable travel options, also expressed satisfaction at the prospect of both the A38 and A46 projects being dropped, describing them as "damaging."

When approached by GB News, the Department for Transport declined to comment on what would happen to the houses, adding consultations would be carried out before any final decision is taken on the road scheme.