I lost my lovely home to A38 road scheme – then it got shelved

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.