Devon relief road and M5 junction team told to 'get on with it'

People have been making their views heard on plans for a relief road and a second motorway junction in Cullompton. Residents were able to quiz Devon County Council at events at Cullompton Community Centre on January 8 and Hayridge Centre on January 10.

The council proposes constructing a new second junction and bridge south of Junction 28 with south-facing slip roads. This new junction and relief road will reduce queues and delays at Junction 28 and reduce congestion and improve air quality throughout the town centre. The scheme will also include bus priority on the local road network and a new multi-use trail on the bridge itself.

There is significant queuing to use Junction 28 on weekdays, both outbound in the morning and inbound in the evening. Frequently, these queues stretch along Station Road between High Street and Junction 28, reducing the air quality in the town.

To resolve this, the council has been working with Mid Devon District Council (MDDC) and stakeholders such as National Highways, the Environment Agency, and Network Rail to find the best solution.

Speaking to Devon Live at a consultation event, Stuart Jarvis, principal transport planning officer at Devon County Council, said: “We had a busy night on January 8, as quite a few people turned up, and we’ve had a steady stream again on January 10.

“Lots of people want the options explained a bit more to them. That’s what we’re here for, to provide more clarity.

“People are also interested to know when it’s being delivered. Many people say we need to get on and deliver it as soon as possible, and we’re trying our best to do that.”

Cullompton town centre relief road consultation at The Hayridge

He added: “We’re aware the relief road is the more critical aspect that needs to come forward early. We’re working with Mid Devon to deliver that as early as possible. Funding is the big issue now, and we’re trying to get funding down, looking at various options. The relief road on its own is about £35 million, and the relief road plus the junction combined is upward of around the £200 million mark. So it’s not cheap.”

The council is producing a strategic outline case for the Department of Transport. That is the first of three stages to draw down funding to deliver the scheme.

Following this consultation period, the council will submit a report to the cabinet in March. The committee then aims to submit that business case to the department for approval.

Mr Jarvis explained: “There’s lots of houses planned for Cullompton. Only so many can be delivered before the infrastructure is in place. We are doing everything we can. If we follow the business case route, the earliest we think we can be on site is 2029 with completion in 2031. We are looking at trying to deliver the relief road earlier than that because we’re aware that needs to come forward first.”

Cullompton town centre relief road consultation at The Hayridge

He also urged people to make their responses through the consultation, saying: “We’re taking account of everyone’s responses, and we’ll produce a consultation report, which will be made public soon after the consultation event has finished. People making a response through our consultation will be listened to.”

He added: “I know there’s been lots of consultation on various transport infrastructure in Cullompton. I would point out that one of the bits of the business case is to show you’ve got local support. I’d encourage people to submit your comments. If we can show there’s a real need that the people of Cullompton want this to happen, it’s another tick box for our government bid.”

The consultation period is open until February 5. People can have their say on the council’s website and fill in the feedback form. Contact details are on the website, and there is an email address and phone number for those who want to get involved.

Mr Jarvis concluded: “It’s critical people take time to engage. Local people know the areas better than we do, and we will take your comments on board. Please let us know if you’re in support of it. Hopefully, that’ll help with our case to get funding from the government. And if you’ve got any concerns, we can take that into account as the scheme progresses.”