A long-awaited relief road to cut congestion in Beaconsfield Old Town is one step closer to reality as a planning application for the northern section of the road has been submitted.

Wilton Park developers Inland Homes have already completed phase one of their section of the A355 relief road, which runs from the A40 Pyebush roundabout to Minerva Way, but plans have now gone in for the county council’s £6.5million section of the road.

The application will be considered by Bucks County Council's development control committee in the New Year.

The A355, which runs from Beaconsfield to Amersham, regularly causes chaos for commuters who get caught up in rush hour delays caused by ‘bottlenecks’ forming at a number of junctions along the road.

Once planning permission is granted for the relief road, the county council will commission detailed plans with a view to a start on construction in early 2018, with completion in March 2019.

It is being paid for with funding secured by BCC in collaboration with Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP) from the first round of bids for the Government Local Growth Fund in March 2014.

Mark Shaw, cabinet member for transport said: “Relief from traffic congestion has been a plea from the Beaconsfield community for a long time, and I'm pleased we've had input from a wide range of people with good local knowledge to help us provide the best solution for the money available.”

The half-mile (900m) northern section of the road, which was presented at a public exhibition in April, is one of the County Council's high priority transport schemes to relieve congestion at London End roundabout.

Ralph Bagge, leader of South Bucks District Council, welcomed the news of the “important milestone.”

He said: “We know that its construction is critical for the removal of spoil from HS2 constructions sites to the north of Beaconsfield and it will provide a key link between the north of Beaconsfield and the M40 via Pyebush roundabout. I’m sure residents will be very reassured that the project is on track.”