// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
I lost my lovely home to road scheme that got shelved
Gail Roberts and her 14 neighbours were given compulsory purchase orders to make way for the A38 expansion
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 described the shelved A38 expansion as a "criminal waste of taxpayers' money"
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.