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Consultation:

Heart of Teignbridge Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan

The revised Heart of Teignbridge Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) was adopted at Cabinet in January 2024. You can view the adopted Heart of Teignbridge LCWIP here.

A public consultation was held, in partnership with Teignbridge District Council, on the Heart of Teignbridge Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).

This consultation closed on 1 October 2021. The results of the consultation can be seen in the Consultation Report.

This consultation aimed to find out if you felt the LCWIP is reflecting the needs and wants of the community and local area. Following this consultation, the responses will be reviewed and necessary amendments will be made to the LCWIP document before it is finalised.

Please read the information provided below to find out more about proposals. For full details on all of the proposals, please refer to the full LCWIP document.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, no physical consultation events were held. However, online webinars have been held; the presentation given was recorded and can be found here.

  • Background

    The draft Heart of Teignbridge LCWIP is an evidence-based approach to identifying the gaps in the existing active travel network. It seeks to outline the focus of future walking and cycling investment over the next 10-20 years. It follows the Department for Transport’s LCWIP framework which forms a vital part of the government’s strategy to increase the number of trips made on foot or by cycle.

    Going forward, LCWIPs will be instrumental in leveraging government funding. This draft document will therefore be transformative for the Heart of Teignbridge area, which is the collective name for Newton Abbot, Kingsteignton and Kingskerswell and the immediate surrounding area. This area can be seen on the map below.

    A map indicating the Heart of Teignbridge area

    LCWIPs are intended to:

    • plan for cycling and walking using evidence and data on existing and future potential demand
    • target investment where it can have the greatest impact
    • identify cycling and walking infrastructure improvements in readiness for funding bids
    • plan cycling and walking networks that meet core design outcomes and the needs of users

    The proposals contained within the LCWIP seek to help the area in the following ways:

    Responding to the climate crisis

    Both Devon County Council and Teignbridge District Council have declared a climate emergency and have signed the Devon Climate Declaration. The Devon Carbon Plan identifies that reducing the need to travel and shifting to sustainable transport options such as cycling and walking are the most important ways to tackle transport emissions.

    Supporting health, wellbeing and access for all

    Active travel can play a crucial role in supporting public health and wellbeing.

    Focussing on inclusive ‘All Ages and Abilities (AAA)’ design and ensuring cycling is accessible for everyone are core design considerations when developing and delivering schemes through the LCWIP process.

    Improving accessibility and social sustainability

    It is important that all residents can access employment, education opportunities, key services and facilities. Delivering improved active travel connections between key destinations will be important in this regard.

    Enabling people to cycle and walk increases the level of social interaction on streets and in neighbourhoods. This has been shown to have a positive impact on issues such as loneliness and builds improved levels of trust in communities.

    Accommodating growth

    There is a national shortage of housing, and the Heart of Teignbridge has the greatest level of affordable housing need in the district. New homes and employment space is planned in the area, and this growth will add additional pressure to the area’s transport network.

    As such, there is a need for a substantial shift to cycling and walking, combined with wider improvements to other transport infrastructure.

    Economic benefits

    A review of national and international studies showing the economic value of investing in cycling infrastructure found that cycle schemes can achieve more for less, people cycling visit local shops more regularly, spending more than users of most other modes of transport; neighbourhoods with cycle-friendly characteristics – low traffic volumes, walkable, close to off-road cycle paths – are more desirable or have higher property values; and, cycle tourists on average spend 9% per head per trip more.

    The areas that the LCWIP focuses on in its proposals were determined through rigorous evidenced-based review of existing cycle trip demands and issues, already planned cycle infrastructure and future development growth. This process identified key movement corridors for further investigation. Corridors were then developed into routes using Department for Transport guidance.

    The LCWIP presents proposals for five key areas within the Heart of Teignbridge area:

    • Newton Abbot Town Centre
    • Kingskerswell and Torbay
    • Wolborough
    • Buckland and Milber
    • Kingsteignton

     

    Within each of these areas, a range of aspirational interventions are proposed in order to create high-quality walking and cycling corridors.

    Depending on the outcomes of this consultation, interventions will be selected for further development and design, at which point there will be further opportunity for consultation. This process is predicated on external funding sources being secured. The purpose of this first stage consultation is for you to have your say on the draft LCWIP as a whole, with high-level feedback on the indicative interventions.

    Initial proposals for enhanced cycle provision for the Kingskerswell and Torbay route have been developed, see below for more details.

  • Proposals

    Below are all walking and cycling corridors within the LCWIP, with select interventions highlighted for each. All these interventions are potential responses to gaps identified in the existing active travel network; they are aspirations and are not guaranteed to be progressed onto further stages of design.

    Town centre

    A map of Newton Abbot town centre

    In the town centre, existing routes would be upgraded including completing missing links. This would improve area-wide access to, and conditions for, cycling and walking in the town centre. Focus would be on the area within the inner ring road formed by the A381 and B3195 (shown in yellow on the map above).

    Several cycling routes currently end at the edge of the town centre or do not provide a direct connection to the town centre. This includes the shared-use path on the A383, Stover Trail, proposed A382 route, and route from Penn Inn roundabout.

    Completing the missing links in the town centre has the potential to transform cycling levels across a wide area, linking up a number of longer distance routes. This would also help significantly more people to visit the town centre shops and facilities by cycle, providing a boost to local retailers and the town centre.

    One of the key elements of the town centre improvements focuses on completing an All Ages and Abilities route, linking routes to the south and east of the town centre, the rail station, shopping area, schools, colleges, and onward connections to the north of the town centre.

    Full details of the route and all possible interventions can be seen on pages 18 – 21 of the LCWIP document. On the map above a few key interventions are highlighted:

    • At Highweek Street the proposal is a new 2-way protected cycle track on the west side of the carriageway, enabled by removing a southbound traffic lane. Specifically, Halcyon Road junction would be redesigned and simplified to provide improved cycling and walking facilities. South of this junction, a new cycle track on the west/south side of the carriageway would be enabled by converting operation for motor vehicles to one-way east-bound.
    • A quiet cycle route along Oak Place, from the Railway Station to The Avenue.

    Kingskerswell and Torbay

    A map indicating the Kingskerswell and Torbay route

    The Kingskerswell and Torbay route is designed to create an all Ages and Abilities route linking the Heart of Teignbridge to the English Riviera.

    Upgrading the existing 3.5-mile route between Newton Abbot, Kingskerswell and Torbay would link the area to wider cycle networks and has the potential to:

    • better serve the well-used commuter route
    • improve active travel links to the existing railway station at Newton Abbot and the proposed railway station at Edginswell
    • improve connections to Abbotsbury School and Kingskerswell Primary School

    Full details of the route and all possible interventions can be seen on pages 22 – 24 of the LCWIP document. On the map above two key interventions are highlighted:

    • At Penn Inn roundabout the existing facilities will be enhanced by improving the accessibility of the approaches to the underpasses and attractiveness of the cycling and walking environment in the centre of the roundabout. To include removal of barriers that currently obstruct all users.
    • Aller Brake Road currently has low traffic volumes but the long, straight road, enables high speeds which makes it unsuitable for cycling for All Ages and Abilities. A high-quality route could be created either: on-street, with motor traffic speed reduction and traffic calming; traffic-free, widening the existing footway into verges, and with short sections of shuttle working for motor traffic, to create a continuous protected cycle route or shared-use path.

    In addition to the proposals highlighted above, a two-way cycle track proposal through Kingskerswell itself has been progressed to the next stage of design, please see below for further details.


    Kingskerswell two-way cycle track

    An artists impression of the propsed two-way cycle track through Kingskerswell

    It is proposed to provide a two-way protected cycle track passing along Torquay Road/Newton Road through Kingskerswell to replace the existing largely on-road advisory cycle lanes.

    The proposed layout would provide a safe, coherent, and more attractive cycle link from the Heart of Teignbridge area to Torbay. It could tie in with the cycle infrastructure proposals described in the Torbay LCWIP to create a high-quality cycle network connecting the area’s major employment, residential and leisure areas.

    This proposal represents one of the flagship LCWIP schemes and as such early design work has been carried out. The outputs of this process are linked below:

    These designs are indicative of the type of intervention that may be suitable in Kingskerswell and, depending on the outcomes of the consultation, further design work, engagement with the community and local stakeholders, as well as significant external funding will be necessary.

    The delivery of the existing 20mph Kingskerswell gateway proposals will not be hindered as a result of this scheme.


    Kingsteignton/Teign Estuary Trail link

    A map indicating the Kingsteignton routes

    The Kingsteignton routes will develop and upgrade the existing connections between Newton Abbot town centre and Sandygate through Kingsteignton town centre, and create a mini-network in Kingsteignton itself.

    The routes have the potential to:

    • better cater for well-used commuter routes
    • provide improved cycling routes for local schools
    • create a joined-up network for Kingsteignton, linking other existing and planned cycle routes

    The first sections of the Teign Estuary Trail to the rear of the racecourse provide an off-road connection between Kingsteignton centre and Newton Abbot town centre.

    However, there remains demand for the more direct route along Newton Road, and there is very little dedicated cycling infrastructure in Kingsteignton itself, with a lack of routes suitable for All Ages and Abilities.

    The Stover Trail indicated on a map

    There are committed plans to deliver improved cycle connections on the western sections of Exeter Road, and there are off-road cycle routes to the north of Kingsteignton. There is an opportunity to join these unconnected sections of cycle route to create a more coherent local network.

    Full details of the route and all possible interventions can be seen on pages 30 – 35 of the LCWIP document. On the map above a few key interventions are highlighted:

    • Extending shared use along Kingsteignton Road/Newton Road by widening the path to 3 metres+ on the western side of the road by reducing carriageway width. Junction mouth of site access would be narrowed and continuous or parallel crossing provided. Existing bus layby may need to be removed and replaced with an in-line stop to provide space for the shared-use path.
    • Modal filters to be considered at Crossley Moor Road to remove through traffic while allowing local access and buses. The double-mini roundabout at the northern end would be reviewed or replaced with a more cycle-friendly layout. Modal filters may also be required on parallel routes to the east to prevent through traffic from diverting to these routes.
    • Rydon Road would have existing traffic calming arrangements reviewed, to ensure cycling and walking movements are not obstructed by vehicle parking.

    Milber and Buckland

    A map of the Buckland and Milber areas of Newton Abbot

    The Buckland and Milber recommendations focus on upgrading the existing routes between the town centre, railway station, Brunel Industrial Estate and residential areas of Buckland and Milber.

    Recommended improvements will:

    • improve walking and cycling accessibility to the main employment area of Brunel Industrial Estate
    • create cycling and walking links that are more direct, coherent and attractive between Milber, Buckland and the town centre
    • install lighting to make routes more suitable for year-round usage

    Developing clear, comfortable and safe routes will open up connections between Newton Abbot Railway Station and the town centre, the key employment site at Brunel, and the residential communities at Milber and Buckland.

    Buckland is built on a steep hill, which is challenging for all but the most able cyclist or e-bike rider. As such, the route shown terminates at the primary school, although onward connections on the relatively low traffic residential streets are possible.

    Full details of the route and all possible interventions can be seen on pages 28 – 29 of the LCWIP document. On the map above a few key interventions are highlighted:

    • Introduce shuttle signals at Quay Road underbridge allowing the reallocation of one traffic lane to create a protected cycle track and wider footway.
    • Protected/shared use provision along Brunel Road to replace the existing on-road provision.
    • Resurface approximately 900 metres of existing path and install lighting (taking into account bat sensitives) along the entire length, making the route suitable for year-round usage.
    • Widen and upgrade approximately 650 metres of existing path to create a minimum 3m wide shared-use path with lighting. Improve surfacing of the existing path including the narrow section between houses. Create a new ramp to connect to the existing path to Sandringham Road.

    Wolborough proposals

    A mao indicating routes in the Wolborough area of Newton Abbot

    This route aims to provide high-quality cycling and walking links from the Wolborough residential development (NA3) to the north.

    The existing routes are not suitable for All Ages and Abilities, with sections of route and crossings missing making it difficult to navigate and discouraging people from choosing to cycle or walk.

    In future, the NA3 development to the south could increase motor traffic volumes in this area, potentially further reducing the attractiveness for cycling and walking.

    There are several desire lines to the north of the area, connecting Kingskerswell Road and the new NA3 Wolborough development site to the south to Penn Inn, Newton Abbot Railway Station, and the town centre.

    There is a need to consider the purple shaded area on the map as a whole, improving provision across the entire area.

    These improvements will:

    • deliver easy cycling and walking access from the proposed development for everyday journeys
    • provide a more coherent connection from the Wolborough and Decoy areas to Kingskerswell and Torquay

    Full details of the route and all possible interventions can be seen on pages 25 – 27 of the LCWIP document. On the map above a few key interventions are highlighted:

    • At Church Road, Forde Park (E), Forde Park (W), there is a need for at least one additional signal-controlled walking and cycling crossing of the A381 Torquay Road, particularly with large scale new development to the south.
    • Continue existing 3-metre minimum width shared use provision at Kingskerswell Road, at Industrial Estate, by widening into the verge and reclaiming carriageway space where necessary.
    • New road bridge or cycling and walking bridge creating traffic-free link over the railway. At present, there is a shuttle working for general traffic over this bridge, with no dedicated footway provision.
    • Modal filter on Aller Road and link through new development to Moorpark Road.

  • Scheme prioritisation and costs

    The interventions set out in the LCWIP are ambitious and will require external funding and further feasibility design work in order to be progressed further. It is therefore important that interventions are prioritised and this process is summarised below.

    Government guidance states that priority should be given to improvements that are most likely to have the greatest impact on increasing the number of people who choose to walk and cycle, and therefore the greatest return on investment.

    Other factors may also influence the prioritisation of improvements such as the deliverability of the proposed works or opportunities to link with other schemes.

    Routes were prioritised by section due to the benefits of delivering a complete and coherent cycle route. The factors below were used to inform the priorities, with the results shown in the table below.

    Priority Improvement Delivery timescale
    1 Deliver planned schemes already committed, including FHSF, Bakers Park – Ogwell, and Teign Estuary Trail. Short/Medium
    2 Progress the Wayfinding Scheme, Stover Trail Improvements, and parking review Short
    3 Town centre – Section 1: Highweek St junction Medium
    4 Town centre – Section 2: town centre east Short/Medium
    5 Town centre – Section 3: town centre west Short/Medium
    6 Town centre – walking improvements Short/Medium
    7 Wolborough – connections north to town centre and Brunel Short/Medium
    8 Wolborough – connections south to Kingskerswell Medium
    9 Kingskerswell and Torbay – Section 1: Newton Abbot station to Kingskerswell Medium
    10 Kingskerswell and Torbay – Section 2: Kingskerswell to Torbay Medium
    11 Kingsteignton – Section 3: west Kingsteignton Medium
    12 Kingsteignton – Section 2: east Kingsteignton Medium
    13 Buckland and Milber Medium
    14 Kingsteignton – Section 1: Newton Abbot to Kingsteignton town centre Long
    15 Stover Trail to Teign Estuary Trail link Long

  • Have your say

    There are several ways to provide feedback on the LCWIP. You can:

    • complete the online questionnaire – paper copies of the questionnaire are available on request
    • give feedback directly to a member of the project team by emailing the team, see contact details below

    Consultation events

    Members of the project team will be in attendance at online consultation events; two consultation webinars were held, where a short presentation was followed by question and answer session, as well a virtual drop-in event. Questions which were frequently asked at these events have been compiled below, with their answers.

    The presentation given at these events was recorded and can be viewed here. 

    FAQs

    What happened to the Teign Estuary Trail project? Why doesn’t the LCWIP address the scheme? 

    The Heart of Teignbridge LCWIP seeks to identify new schemes and infrastructure which are not already included in existing plans. The Teign Estuary Trail is currently being progressed by Devon County Council, with a planning application for the Newton Abbot to Teignmouth section submitted earlier this year, and is identified in the “Scheme Priority & Cost” table in the draft LCWIP document as one of the top priorities for the Heart of Teignbridge area. For further details, and to track the progress of the Teign Estuary Trail, please visit the project website.

    Why does the LCWIP not include the proposed Aller Valley Trail running between Newton Abbot and Torquay?

    The Aller Valley Trail is included in the adopted Teignbridge District Council Local Plan 2033. The Heart of Teignbridge LCWIP seeks to identify new schemes and infrastructure which are not already included in existing plans.

    Shouldn’t money be spent on something else rather than LCWIP proposals? 

    It is anticipated that funding for proposals will need to be sought externally to Devon County Council’s and Teignbridge District Council’s limited capital budget. As a consequence, funding sources are most often realised through central Government funding pots with specific eligibility criteria or through developer contributions, which are contingent on the delivery of associated development. This means that any delivery of the proposals in the LCWIP will in most cases be reliant on funding which would otherwise not be within Devon County Council’s or Teignbridge District Council’s control to use for other purposes. Progress on the delivery of the LCWIP proposals will be subject to the identification of suitable funding sources and further design and consultation will be needed.

    Cyclists don’t use existing cycle paths, why invest in new infrastructure?

    The proposals contained within the Heart of Teignbridge LCWIP seek to create cycle provision which is suitable for all ages and abilities. Through increasing the quality of cycle infrastructure, it is anticipated that it will become more attractive for a wider range of residents and visitors to the Heart of Teignbridge area.

    How have LCWIP route proposals been chosen? 

    A wide range of factors were considered in order to identify the five routes proposed for improvement in the draft LCWIP. These include:

    • Existing travel patterns
    • Road safety statistics
    • Links to planned growth sites
    • Suggestions from members of the public
    • An assessment of where interventions are already planned
    • Connectivity into strategic links, such as public transport and education sites

     

    If you would like further information, please get in touch using the contact details below:


We take accessibility seriously and recognise that some of the information presented in the files available on this page may not be fully accessible to someone using assistive technology such as a screen reader.

If you need guidance or an alternative format, email transportplanning@devon.gov.uk with details of any preferred format and the assistive technology you use.

From
01/09/2021
Until
01/10/2021
District

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