There has been much debate at all levels as to whether the building of the Kingskerswell Bypass is linked to future development?

The Chairman of Teignbridge District Council's Development Control Committee - Councillor Mike Haines, has repeatedly gone on record as saying there is no link between building the bypass and future development around Kingskerswell.

To try and help clarify this matter, please find four key headings listed below:

• The Register of Omissions Sites (listed under the Teignbridge Local Plan First Review document ~ released for public consultation in 2002).

• The Kingskerswell Bypass Economic Impact Study An advisory report with no formal planning status. (Published in 2002, but not made public, by property development consultants).

• The Local Plan - In 2003, the Council resolved to hold in abeyance the process leading to the production of the revised Local Plan (because of uncertainty surrounding the bypass). Work on the preparation of a Local Development Framework for the area has now commenced.

• Teignbridge Councils Local Development Framework. The emerging development framework for Teignbridge's future to 2016 is being prepared under the new planning system.

Ok, so what are the facts........ well not surprisingly - we could write pages of information under each of the above headings, so we need to condense it right down to key issues. These are as follows:~

• As far back as 1998, Ed Chorlton from DCC is on public record as saying the bypass is "crucial to ensuring that the development potential of the area is unlocked." Read more here

• In February 2002 the Kingskerswell Bypass Economic Impact Study Final Report stated: “Following the advice of Devon County Council, as Highway Authority, the District Council has restricted significant property development in Kingskerswell until the bypass is built.”

• That same report went on to say “Once the bypass is built, accessibility to Kingskerswell would be transformed. The improved accessibility, coupled with attractive surroundings, should mean that demand from developers and occupiers is likely to be strong, especially from house builders.”
  Note: Interestingly, Cllr. Haines helped prepare that report having attended as a "stakeholder" on behalf of both the Kingskerswell Parish Council and Teignbridge District Council.

• On Monday 20th January 2003, Mark Rushworth (Principal Planning Officer @ TDC), stated during a public meeting that a bypass would remove traffic congestion issues relating to potential development listed in the Register of Omissions Sites.

• Lastly, here is the visible proof: A map showing 35 sites identified for development stretching from Newton Abbot to Brixham, all linked to the building of the bypass. This map was marked Confidential and obtained from Teignbridge District Council following an application under the Freedom of Information Act.

  This map was in a final draft version of the Economic Impact Study but was replaced in the final document with a simplified version.

So there we have it... whilst building a bypass does not automatically mean that development will follow, it is quite clear some believe development can't happen without it?

This "chicken and egg" situation allows those supporting the bypass to claim there is no link; but only because the development issues are being kept "under the table" until it has been built.

So whilst there might not be a direct link between the bypass and development, there is clearly a link between development and the bypass!

If this destructive road is ever built, we must accept there will be an inevitable urbanisation of the surrounding countryside. Is that what we want to see for this beautiful part of Devon?