Planning Often described as the first ring road in Britain, planning had been in discussion since the 19th century, with a circular
boulevard plan proposed in 1853 although ultimately it did not materialise. Construction of the road began in the early 20th century and was designed by civil engineer
John Alexander Brodie. Initially conceived with
tram tracks running along the centre of the road, it was ultimately decided that a
dual-carriageway formation was necessary in order to handle the anticipated increased traffic volumes. Several existing roads, such as Black Horse Lane and Priory Road were incorporated into the new carriageway, some of which were realigned to fit with the plans, whilst new sections of road filled in the gaps. Extensive parts of the carriageway were planted with uniformly spaced out trees along lengthy sections, long before any planned built development in the surrounding area. The road played a significant role during the 1920s and 1930s, when new areas for housing development were required to rehouse people from
slum clearances in the city centre. ==References==