Minutes:
Council received the following question from Elizabeth Easterbrook-Hill:
“I represent a group of residents in Bishops Tawton, where the County Council are proposing to install an underpass to cross the A361 between the village and Bishops Tawton Road in Newport. The County Council had originally told us that, in their opinion, the work could be carried out under their permitted development rights and did not require planning consent. They have more recently advised that they are reconsidering this clearly incorrect view given the professional advice we have recently submitted to them.
The underpass proposal came about as a result of concerns raised by the Parish Council and local residents on the impact of the proposed Bishops Tawton Roundabout improvements on pedestrian safety (around 70 people a day currently cross the A361 on foot – most of these are at the start or end of the school day). We have expressed concerns to the County Council regarding the proposal on a number of points, the key ones are:
· That the underpass proposal should be given proper scrutiny and be dealt with as a planning application, rather than as permitted development. This would allow proper scrutiny by the police, local council and Environment Agency of the impact of the proposal on personal safety, environmental impact and impact on the local drainage network;
· That an underpass is not the safest nor most economical solution to the problem of pedestrian safety (Toucan crossings have been considered suitable in at least two other crossings of the Link Road between Barnstaple and Bideford – at Roundswell and Heywood);
· That the proposal is a huge waste of public money. We have been advised that an underpass would cost £2m. A Toucan crossing would be a fraction of the cost.
Can I ask that the District Council insist that the proposal is dealt with as a planning application and that you make sure that the proposals are subject to proper scrutiny with regards to safety, environmental harm and cost effectiveness?”
In response to the question, the Leader advised “Thank you for your enquiry. The District Council as local planning authority will determine any application submitted to it. We can not however require a developer to submit a planning application when the development proposed falls within permitted development rights. We have however passed the question on to DCC who have responded to say that a decision regarding Bishop’s Tawton Roundabout is currently on hold whilst DCC reviews options for progressing the scheme as a result of the comments submitted during the public consultation. If the outcome of this review is that the works form a major scheme, then DCC will move to submit a planning application; most likely in late spring. Any further questions regarding DCC’s proposals should be directed to DCC or the local DCC members”.
Councillor Edgell (in his capacity as Devon County Councillor for the area) advised that the matter was currently being examined by Devon County Council and it was anticipated that a decision would be made in March 2019. The District Council could make representations to Devon County Council regarding the proposed scheme.
The Leader advised that he would write to Devon County Council to express the concerns raised.