Gail Roberts called the Derby A38 road project a “criminal waste of taxpayers’ money” after the scheme that affected her Queensway home was put on hold in late June. The government’s decision came after years in which her house was already taken into the compulsory purchase process.
Roberts was the last remaining resident of Queensway in Derby after her home was among 15 included in a compulsory purchase order. She moved into the four-bedroom house in 2011 and spent two years renovating it with her husband. In 2012, they first heard about the A38 proposals.
Department for Transport plan
The Department for Transport said it needed savings of up to £700m from road projects to boost defence spending. It said the A38 Derby Junctions and A46 Newark Bypass schemes were among several projects it planned to halt, and that both were yet to enter contract and were not as far along as other road schemes.
That sequencing left Roberts in a difficult position before the pause was announced. She said many of her neighbours accepted the order and moved out, leaving her “stuck in a lovely house in a derelict street.”
Queensway dispute
The dispute over the value of her home ran for two years, and Roberts said it was “absolutely infuriating.” She eventually accepted £40,000 less than an independent valuation she had been given.
Her account also shows how long the scheme had been pressing on one household before the late June decision. Roberts has multiple sclerosis, collapsed in January 2023 and temporarily lost the use of her legs, and she said two neurologists linked her decline in health to stress.
Late June reaction
In autumn 2023, Roberts and her husband temporarily moved into a bungalow in Ockbrook, Derbyshire. She said she was “appalled but not surprised” by the late June 2026 pause, and also said, “It just beggars belief how much money the government can waste - it's shocking.”
Claire Ward called the government’s decision “completely unacceptable.” Andy Burnham said he would “not abandon the ambition” of the A38 project during a recent visit to Derbyshire.
What happens to the 15 homes now depends on whether the scheme is revived or left where it stands. For Roberts, the immediate reality is that the road project was halted after her home had already been drawn into it.
