Work on regenerating Edge Lane will start next month. City Editor David Bartlett reports on why the bill has rocketed by £17m

THE cost of demolishing homes and road building as part of the extension of the Edge Lane dual carriageway has ballooned by 43%, the Daily Post can reveal.

Knocking down 371 homes and rebuilding the key route will now cost £57.7m, up from £40.4m four years ago.

Executive director of regeneration John Kelly said the huge increase in costs was down to years of delays caused by “persistent litigation by a small minority”.

Grandmother Elizabeth Pascoe, who led the campaign, last night said she was unapologetic for trying to protect her home and claimed the delays were not down to her.

She claimed the public and councillors were not being made aware of all the facts.

Her claims are strongly denied by Liverpool Council, which says the scheme is wanted by the majority of residents in the area because of the improvements it will bring.

Last night it was also revealed that demolition of homes in the clearance area at the west end of Edge Lane is due to start next month.

Work on the road is due to start in the middle of next year, with completion by the end of 2011.

A number of government agencies have agreed to increase funding for the project to keep it on track.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has provisionally agreed to put in £2.5m, subject to approval from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

On Friday, Liverpool Council’s ruling executive board agreed to borrow £2m, in advance of £26m from the Department for Transport for the road element.

The overall scheme will see the widening of Edge Lane, new homes, and new business units in a revamped corridor on the way into Liverpool from the M62.

The new homes are due to be built by Bellway Homes as part of the council’s Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI).