ED/01/296/HQ

Executive Committee of Devon County Council

11 December 2001

Strategic Services Committee of Torbay Council

28 November 2001

Joint Report of the County Environment Director (Devon County Council), and the Director of Strategic Services (Torbay Council)

Both the Devon and Torbay Local Transport Plans identify the Kingskerswell Bypass as a major scheme proposal for construction in the period 2006 - 2011. Towards development of the scheme, and in order to achieve the DLTP programme, three pieces of study work have been undertaken. This report describes these pieces of work and seeks approval to undertake public consultation on the results prior to proceeding with a planning application and a full environmental impact study for the bypass.

Following publication of the Government White Paper "New Deal for Transport - Better for Everyone" and meetings with Transport Ministers, construction of Kingskerswell Bypass was clearly dependent upon further investigation of all possible transport options in the light of integrated transport policies, and if appropriate proving a "no other alternative" case for the Bypass.

Consultations involving Government Office of the South West (GOSW), the Regional Development Agency (RDA), Torbay and Devon County Councils concluded that irrespective of the fact that extensive background and development work had been undertaken over many years the case for the scheme would have to be re-examined if funding were to be secured.

From these discussions and in the light of the Government White Paper, a way ahead was agreed which involved three items of work:

(i) A380 Newton Abbot to Torbay Corridor Study

(ii) Kingskerswell Bypass Economic Impact Study

(iii) Kingskerswell Bypass - Design Standards Review

Results of the Corridor Study were reported in June 2000. Preliminary conclusions from the Economic Impact Study and Design Standards Review are now available.

A statutory procedural requirement for a scheme of this magnitude is that a full environmental impact study be undertaken and that planning approval be obtained, the former being required to support the latter. This will require a bid to be made for funding from the capital programme of the two authorities in 2002/03, with an estimated total cost of £215,000.

It is proposed that prior to starting these statutory procedures, a public consultation exercise should now inform all interested parties of the results of the three studies and the proposed strategy and bypass scheme that has been developed. The results of this exercise should then be fed into any further scheme development prior to the submission of a planning application.

The study was designed to examine in detail the current and future transport conditions on the A380 corridor between Newton Abbot and Torbay, with the aim of investigating all available options for reducing the impact of vehicle travel on the study area.

The study method, key findings and proposed strategy were reported to Executive Committee of Devon County Council on 27 June 2000, and the Strategic Services Committee of Torbay Council on 28 June 2000.

The study concluded that whilst short term strategies focused on improved cycle, public transport and traffic restraint measures would have a marginal effect on reducing traffic along the corridor, ultimately there was only one solution to the A380 corridor and that was construction of a bypass for Kingskerswell. The study concluded also that such a bypass should follow the route which had been established and protected for many years to the west of the village, and that it should be of dual two-lane standard with junctions offering lesser impact than those previously proposed.

The study concluded also that further investigation work would be required in order to minimise the environmental impact of the scheme.

The project brief required that a comprehensive social and economic analysis of South Devon (Teignbridge and South Hams) and the Torbay area be undertaken leading to a detailed appraisal of the social and economic impact on the area in both a no scheme situation and with the implementation of Kingskerswell Bypass.

Reference to social as well as economic impact included population, employment and household characteristics and the incidence of multiple deprivation in parts of the study area.

The study was commissioned and funded in partnership by Devon County and Torbay Councils, the RDA and Teignbridge District Council. Whilst the full study results are not yet available a number of preliminary conclusions can be drawn.

An initial review of the current situation in the Torbay area and the likely effects of the proposed Kingskerswell Bypass suggests that economic activity and social conditions have been disadvantaged by the serious traffic congestion on the A380 through Kingskerswell and that the bypass could release suppressed demand for some growth in local business and tourism, associated development and corresponding improvements in community well-being. It is unlikely to have a significant effect on the impact of changes in the global market on key local industrial sectors such as the traditional fishing industry but it could have a significant effect on the local fibre-optics industry, the tourism industry and other service industries.

It seems likely that any recovery in local business and tourism will be gradual as the benefits of the proposed bypass work their way through what is a large and complex urban area. The process of readjustment in the local economy would probably take several years before the first signs of growth appear probably in the tourism industry and possibly in the knowledge-based industries which could expand on the key development sites in the Yalberton and Clennan areas. However, the current uncertainties about the future of the fibre-optics industry could play an equal or possibly greater part in determining the future of the local economy.

Whilst early results from the study suggest a continuing need for construction of a Kingskerswell Bypass, a key issue for the later stages of this economic impact study will be to examine how far the bypass will release pent-up demand for growth in business and tourism and how far it might release pent-up demand for travel which could take up a substantial proportion of the road capacity which will be provided in the proposed bypass. Another key issue will be to explore how far the benefits of the proposed bypass will be felt in the sub-areas and business sectors of the study area which are already fairly prosperous and how far they will be felt in the deprived sub-areas and amongst the disadvantaged sections of the community.

The full results of this study are expected to be available early in the New Year.

Having established, through completion of the corridor study, that a bypass of Kingskerswell is required if overall conditions are to be improved, consideration had to be given to what was the best layout.

Examination of the issues in detail, including the capacity of the surrounding network, journey times and desire to minimise induced traffic, concluded that a dual carriageway layout was the preferred option, but that significant work would be necessary to mitigate environmental impact, especially in the area of Maddacombe Road. Such a scheme would follow the previously approved alignment to the west of Kingskerswell, but with simplified and reduced scale junction layouts compared with the abandoned Highways Agency Scheme. Despite investigations all other routes and variations proved to be inferior.

Two layouts have been developed for Public Consultation, both on the same horizontal alignment, but with significantly different vertical profiles especially over the length between Old Newton Road and Yon Street, to the west of the village.

In one case, and in order to mitigate the landscape impact of the scheme, the proposed bypass has been placed in a cut and cover structure of some 500 metres in length, with a resulting scheme construction cost of some £76m.

The alternative provides greatly reduced earthworks, compared to both the original Highways Agency scheme and the layout assessed during the corridor study in order to mitigate the landscape impact. This alternative layout has an estimated cost of some £42M.

Both schemes provide facilities for an overbridge at Maddacombe Road and dedicated routes for quarry traffic leaving and returning to Stoneycombe Quarry.

At Penn Inn, a single two lane flyover is proposed, while at Aller Cross an at grade junction will provide access to the wider county network, Kingskerswell and the Decoy Road Industrial Estate. At the Torbay end of the scheme it is proposed that a greatly simplified traffic signal controlled junction will be provided to feed into the speed restricted route into Torbay and onto the Ring Road towards Brixham.

The two alternative schemes are currently being developed such that the proposed public consultation can take place early in the New Year.

The entire approach to completing the three studies has been to find the most sustainable solution to the negative impacts created by the existing traffic problems on the A380 corridor between Penn Inn and Torbay. The proposed bypass is only part of a wider integrated transport strategy to improve these problems whilst minimising negative impacts.

Edward Chorlton

County Environment Director, Devon County Council

Tim Whitehead

Director of Strategic Services, Torbay Council

Contact for enquiries: Mike Phillips

Tel No: 01392 382701

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