MORE than £15m is to be pumped into improving a four-mile stretch of Salisbury road, which is set to have hundreds of new homes built on it.

Announced by the government today as part of a £5bn national funding pot, the investment will focus on the roadway from Exeter Street roundabout, through the Harnham Gyratory, and then out to the Netherhampton Road junction with the A36, just outside of Wilton.

Details of what improvements the scheme will bring have not yet been announced, but MP for Salisbury John Glen said it would be to deal with "pinch points".

He added that it is set to be completed in "two or three years".

It comes just over a week after plans to allocated space for 864 new homes in Salisbury were been given the green light by Wiltshire Council's cabinet.

This includes 740 homes on Netherhampton Road.

Speaking to BBC Wiltshire this afternoon, Mr Glen said: “[The Netherhampton Road housing scheme] has always been a very controversial development, but today the government has announced £15m to £20m to deal with the pinch points on the road systems around it.

"The point that I have always made is that you can’t have this additional housing unless you have investment in the supporting infrastructure, and Wiltshire’s transport strategy has been worked on over several years and I have been working with and lobbying the government and ministers within the Department for Transport and today we’ve had that announcement.

“This is very good news as that means the pinch points associated with that development will not be pinch points and the Exeter Street roundabout, up to the Harnham Gyratory, and then out to the Park Wall junction with the A36 just outside of Wilton, will be addressed with this road scheme.

“So it is good news.”

He added: "I was poised to step up the pressure to get this investment into the infrastructure, and it’s a complete coincidence that this has been announced today by the government.”

A scheme for the improvements is now being worked up by Wiltshire Council, Mr Glen also confirmed.

Following the announcement, the Mayor of Salisbury, Councillor John Walsh said: "I am delighted to hear that the long awaited and much needed improvements to our transport system are now within sight.

"A thank you to the council officers and our MP, John Glen, for their hard work is in order.

"I hope they can now turn their efforts to improving our cycle lanes and pedestrian areas in the city centre, which have lacked investment over many years."