‘At risk’ funding will be spent on major Devon town road scheme

Government cash that was at risk of needing to be handed back will now be spent on bolstering a major road scheme in a Devon town

Exmouth secured £15.7 million in Levelling Up funding in February last year, with the cash earmarked for the Dinan Way extension but also improvements to the Gateway area near the town’s railway station.
However, Exmothians objected to part of the Gateway plans that would have involved filling in the pedestrian subway, prompting the Gateway proposals to be scrapped and the portion of funding for it to become uncertain.
That meant Devon County Council had to submit a request to the Department for Transport (DfT) to see whether the portion of cash allocated to the Gateway area could be used elsewhere in the town.
Now, the county council has confirmed that the roughly £3.1 million will be used to create new crossings on Dinan Way, as well as improve existing ones.
Furthermore, some parts of Dinan Way will see the pavements widened to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians, and an application will be made to put yellow lines on parts of Dinan Way where the road will be narrowed to accommodate the expanded pavements.
“By improving the road, you are making it busier and therefore we need active travel improvements and better crossings,” said Dan Thomas (Liberal Democrat, South Brent and Yealmpton), the cabinet member for highways.
He added that the proposals were “really important”, and that if they weren’t approved now, then the money might have to be returned to the DfT. 
Cabinet members heard that while other schemes could be developed to encourage active travel, such as walking and cycling, the deadline by which the funding has to be used meant this was unrealistic.
Councillor Jeff Trail (Conservative, Exmouth) said he welcomed the money being spent, particularly due to the work he said he, his former fellow Exmouth councillor Richard Scott, Councillor Andrea Davis (Conservative, Combe Martin Rural), council officers and former MP Simon Jupp put into securing the cash.
“Rather than returning the funds [after the Gateway scheme was opposed by residents], we lobbied the government to let us use the funds to improve safety on the original Dinan Way,” he said.
“It is a busy road, and numerous local groups have been asking for better safety measures for years.
“It will support active travel from the north of Exmouth to the Exe Trail, and improve crossings for children walking to one of the four schools, including Exmouth Community College.”
However, not everyone was completely pleased.
Councillor Paul Arnott (Liberal Democrat, Seaton and Colyton) felt an opportunity had been missed for the centre of Exmouth.
“Nobody wanted the underpass buried in soil and hardcourt, but there were other good ideas coming forward, but we ran out of road, for want of a better phrase, and so the county council made the decision that since Dinan Way had become more expensive it would allocate funds there,” he said.
“Fair enough, let’s get this done, as I do welcome the active travel aspects, but let’s not kid ourselves that this is a great result for Exmouth.
“What we are doing is finishing a road that could have been completed at another point in the past decade with no gain for the centre of Exmouth at all.”
The updated plans for Dinan Way will include the existing informal crossing at Gorse Lane being upgraded to a toucan crossing with an island, and Marley Road’s existing informal crossing being upgraded to a puffin.
At Meadow View Road, the existing informal crossing will also become a puffin, while a new crossing and island is proposed for St John’s Road as well as an additional length of footway to improve access to surrounding facilities.
In the wider area, other improvements will include a puffin crossing on the A376 Exeter Road, near the Co-op store, to improve pedestrian and cycle access to the Exe Estuary Trail.
And crossing points will also be provided where Hulham Road meets Featherbed Lane and Pound Lane. The existing mini roundabout will be reconfigured into a T-junction to make the layout two staggered-priority junctions.