County Council to get £55m for South West Exeter

It will fund developments between Alphington and Exminster

Devon County Council has won a £55 million funding injection from the Government to help unlock infrastructure development around South West Exeter.

Around 2,500 homes, a Primary and Secondary school, and employment land identified in the Teignbridge Local Plan and Exeter Core Strategy for the site on land near the Devon Hotel that spans 90 hectares of land between Alphington Village and Exminster

The Housing Infrastructure Funding bid will see the A379 between the Matford roundabout and Chudleigh Road, Alphington, improved and widened, a Pedestrian/cycle bridge to provide a safe crossing over the A379, an upgrade of the Devon Hotel roundabout and enhancements in Alphington village made.

Teignbridge District Council planners last year approved a scheme for almost 1,500 homes, a small GP surgery, a community hub, and land earmarked for a through school for primary and secondary pupils – the biggest ever application they had granted permission for.

Cllr Alan Connett, the County Councillor for Exminster and Haldon, has welcomed the investment as the planned ‘new town’ would provide more homes than currently exist in Exminster.

He added: “The funding is welcome news as it will help to ensure that the plans for south west Exeter are delivered. This is a huge development, in fact, it is planned to be bigger than the existing village of Exminster, and many local people are really concerned about traffic and the implications for getting into and out of Exeter. We have already seen delays with the planned Marsh Barton rail station and the huge countryside park planned for the development has already been shrunk by Teignbridge Council.

“However, it is good news that Government is putting in money to help deliver the infrastructure for this development…but it highlights again the problem that while councils plan these large scale developments there doesn’t seem to be enough cash to provide the essential requirements unless the Government also writes a cheque from the taxpayer.”

Devon County Council’s scheme for the area around South West Exeter involves

– Widening sections of the A379 between the Matford roundabout and Chudleigh Road, Alphington, and development of new junctions to serve the new development;

– Pedestrian/cycle bridge to provide a safe crossing over the A379, serving a school campus and community facilities;

– Upgrade of the Devon Hotel roundabout to increase capacity;

– Enhancements in Alphington village;

– Realignment of Chudleigh Road, near Alphington, and new signal junction, to improve safety and unlock development to the north of the A379; and

– Development of Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space (SANGS) to mitigate the impact on the Exe Estuary.

Cllr Andrea Davis, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Development and Waste, said: “A lot of effort went into pulling together this comprehensive bid and I’m delighted that it has won the support of the Government. This funding is extremely welcome and will enable us to kick start the growth of the area to the south west of Exeter.

“The funding package will enable the County Council to deliver necessary infrastructure developments and improvements to support new homes, new jobs and a new school.”

Cllr Yvonne Atkinson, Devon County Councillor for Alphington and Cowick, said: “This is good news. It’s vital that the transport infrastructure is in place first in order to alleviate congestion and ensure that the character of Alphington village is not badly impacted by increased traffic from these developments.”

Cllr Jeremy Christophers, the leader of Teignbridge District Council, said it was great news for the area and ensures the best chance of getting the eventually development for the area right.

He said: “This has been based on years and years of evidence and planning from the officers. This kind of investment from Government doesn’t get given to you unless you are a council that is building the number of homes that the Local Plan says you should, and this a very positive news and off the back of Exeter announcing their plans to reconfigure the city and create new neighbourhoods.

“This investment will help deliver a sustainable south west Exeter plan and will hopefully encourage people to walk and cycle more.”

And the news comes on the same day that a vision to regenerate land around Exeter’s St David’s Station has won a significant boost. Plans for a new gateway to the city of Exeter, including plans to create new homes, offices and retail in St David’s, have been awarded £505,000 of Government funding.

The One Public Estate programme, which launched in 2013 to make better use of public sector sites, free up space for new homes and create jobs, has awarded £505,000 for projects in Devon and Torbay.

Exeter City Council has welcomed the cash boost which will give momentum to the work of local stakeholders including Devon County Council, Network Rail, Great Western Railway, the University of Exeter, Exeter College, to turn the vision into reality.

Cllr Rachel Sutton, Exeter City Council’s Lead Councillor for Economy: “This is great news for Exeter. This money will go a long way towards exploring possibilities of how this land – a key gateway into the city – can be transformed and provide much needed homes for the people of Exeter.”

The council last week announced its Liveable Exeter vision for 12,000 new homes, which highlights the property crisis while trying to solve transport challenges facing the city, proposing a need for residents to ditch cars and walk and cycle instead.

It includes 664 homes in new neighbourhood at Red Cow Village (St David’s), including new work space, including use of under-utilised station buildings, in a highly accessible location.