Work has begun on the long awaited Ely Southern Bypass between Suntney Causeway and Angel Drove to the south of Ely.

Councillor Mike Rouse said: “They’ve been talking about this for years and years.

Local people have been asking for this to happen for a long, long time – 20 years.

Nathan Thrower, project manager at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “The existing A142 has a low bridge, so HGVs are not able to go underneath the bridge and have to use the level crossing. When HGVs queue to use the level crossing, the queues go back onto the A142 which blocks the road completely and causes significant congestion.”

“The purpose of Ely Southern Bypass is to improve the transport in the area: the new route will provide a new link between Suntney Causeway and Angel Drove to the south of Ely.”

Matt Klinefelter, structure site agent at Volker Fitzpatrick, said: “The bypass is important for transport links, and I think it will give a bit of a boost to the area as well. It should also minimise rail traffic.

The centerpiece of the six and a half acre leisure park, by the A10 at Downham Road, will be a six-screen Cineworld cinema, situated alongside a McDonalds, Costa Coffee, Frankie & Benny’s, Hungry Horse, Chosen Bun, Arbuckles and KFC.

Site developers of the highly anticipated £15.7 million Ely Leisure Village have announced it will open in April.

It is also being championed by developers as meeting the growing needs of the Ely area, which is set to see 5,500 new homes over the next few years.

Director of Turnstone Estates, Tim Deacon, said: “There is no leisure provision north of Cambridge and coupled with the proposed swimming and leisure centre in phase two, this is set to be become a major leisure destination.”

East Cambridge District Council have also earmarked space nearby to house their new swimming pool and leisure centre complex, which developers will carry out in phase two of the project due to open in early 2018.

The Ely Cathedral Business Group (ECBG) is starting ‘Second Mondays’ – a small, informal evening discussion session being held at the Royal Standard public house, in Forehill, on the second Monday of the month.

A spokesman for the business group said: “Our motivation for these gatherings is to encourage networking amongst ECBG members – building relationships, to learn about each other’s businesses and professional lives, to share experiences, challenges and insights, and to inspire one another, and to pursue the ECBG theme and purpose: the success of business as a driver of wellbeing in our community.”

The event will start at 6.45pm and will finish at around 8.30pm.

Visit www.elycathedralbusinessgroup.org for more details.