I lost my lovely home to road scheme that got shelved

A woman forced to give up her home for a dual-carriageway expansion now set to be shelved has described the project as a "criminal waste of taxpayers' money".

Gail Roberts was the last remaining resident of Queensway in Derby after her home was among 15 included in a compulsory purchase order to make way for the A38 upgrade.

In June, the government announced the road project was among several it planned to halt to pay for increased defence spending.

"It just beggars belief how much money the government can waste - it's shocking," Roberts said.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it needed to provide savings of up to £700m from road projects to boost defence spending and the A38 Derby Junctions and A46 Newark Bypass schemes were "yet to enter contract and not as far along as other road schemes".

East Midlands mayor, Claire Ward, said the government's decision was "completely unacceptable" and on recent visit to Derbyshire, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would "not abandon the ambition" of the A38 project.

Roberts moved into her four-bedroom house in 2011 and spent two years renovating the property with her husband.

In 2012, the couple first heard about the A38 proposals and were given a compulsory purchase order in 2021.

Many of her neighbours accepted it and moved out, leaving her "stuck in a lovely house in a derelict street".

She said the two-year dispute over the value of the house was "absolutely infuriating", with Roberts eventually accepting £40,000 less than an independent valuation she had been given.

"I've lost so many years of my life to this, to the point where I was in hospital," she said.

Roberts has multiple sclerosis and collapsed in January 2023, temporarily losing the use of her legs. She said two neurologists linked her decline in health to stress.

"I think on the surface I handled it well, but clearly underneath, it was there constantly," she said.

In autumn 2023, Roberts and her husband temporarily moved into a bungalow in Ockbrook, Derbyshire, where they continue to search for a new home.

In late June 2026, the A38 project was put on hold in order to fund new defence plans.

Roberts told the BBC she was "appalled but not surprised" by the decision.

"I always had an inkling that it wouldn't actually go through, because the public consultations have gone on and on and on," she said.

"I think the indecision is disgusting. How long can it go on like this?"

Roberts said it had been "painful" to see her old home boarded-up for the past three years, and for months she "diverted halfway around Derby" to avoid passing by it.

"Those are all unique, individually, architecturally designed houses, and they're empty," she said.

"There's so many homeless people. If they're going to leave them alone, why don't they do something with them?"

The Stop the A38 Expansion Group has called for the properties to be restored and returned to use should the scheme be officially scrapped.

Roberts said she will continue to search for a home suited to her disability needs, but recognised she has probably lived in the "best house" she will ever live in - on Queensway.

National Highways said the potential cancellation of the A38 scheme remained under consultation.

It added no final decision had yet been made and an update would be shared in due course.