Staffordshire County Council is considering two options for Aston Link Road on the southern edge of Stone: closing the road and turning it into a cycleway, or making it one-way.
The county council has allocated £35,000 for design work on the scheme as part of its 2026/27 highways and transport capital programme, which was approved by Cabinet earlier in the year.
Aston Link Road connects Lichfield Road with the A51 at Aston by Stone. It is one of two accesses onto the A51 in the area.
Why the changes are being considered
The county council describes the road as narrow and notes it is used as a short cut. The stated aim of the proposals is to improve the safety of turning movements around Aston Link Road, Lichfield Road and the A51 by reducing the number of access points.
Earlier feasibility work in 2024/25 identified a number of issues, including increased use of the road as a short cut, limited visibility, vehicles queuing on the A51, the width of Aston Link Road and its proximity to the Lichfield Road junction.
Cycleway option
If closed, the road could provide a walking and cycling route into the southern end of Stone, linking with existing walking and cycling routes. The council says there are no properties on the stretch that would be immediately affected.
Next steps
The design work is listed in Staffordshire County Council's current delivery programme for spring 2027.
The Aston Link Road work links to the wider Stone gyratory scheme, according to the council's latest programme.
