Agenda item

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/24/94), attached.

(Electoral Division: Teignmouth)

(Councillor Phipps, Teignmouth Town Councillor, spoke to this matter with the consent of the Committee, seeking to open the Upper Den Carriageway for parking through the summer months).

The Committee considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/24/94), following this matter being raised by the local County Councillor at the last meeting.

Teignmouth Town Council had requested that the Upper Den Carriageway remain open through the summer months. Currently it was closed for vehicles between 1 May and 10 September each year.

Appendix 1 to Report (CET/24/94) set out Teignmouth Town Council’s report of the Town Council proposals (which also included letters of support from a local trader, a member of the public and the Chair of Teignmouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce). 

Whilst the proposal would increase on-street parking revenue for the County Council, (currently no revenue during summer road closure period), it raised safety issues and conflicts with some of the County Council’s policies, as set out in section 6 of Report (CET/24/94).

Several summer events (e.g. Air Show) required the road to be closed on specific dates, so if it was reopened for the remaining summer this was considered to be confusing for residents and visitors, who had been able to cross this road freely during the summer for several years.

Historically the Town Council had favoured closing the road over the summer period, with concerns of camper vans and the emptying of waste into highways drains, draining directly onto the beach potentially affecting bathing water quality.

Teignbridge District Council recommended that further consultation be undertaken before any consideration was taken to reopen the road.

A very similar proposal was brought before this Committee on 25 July 2022, at that time it was resolved that the Upper Den Carriageway remain closed through the summer.

Safety, environmental and policy issues had led to the Report (CET/24/94) recommendation for it to remain closed until any further agreed consultation.

The Report further considered issues of finance (with no identified budget), equality, risk management (including concerns regarding RNLI emergency use) and public health. 

The local County Councillor whilst supporting the Teignmouth Town Council proposals, would welcome further consultation to help inform any future consideration.

Members of this Committee also felt they could not fully consider this without

further consultation to help determine whether there was a case made to reopen, or otherwise. Some representations objecting to the proposals had been submitted to this Committee’s last meeting.

Officers advised that a full consultation would need to be carried out by the Town Council at its own expense, to the County Council’s satisfaction. The County Council would assist the Town Council with advice on the consultation process. 

It was MOVED by Councillor Dewhirst and SECONDED by Councillor Cox and

RESOLVED: that the Upper Den Carriageway remain closed through the summer period until a further full consultation on the proposals put forward by Teignmouth Town Council could be undertaken by it (with the assistance of the County Council as described above), taking place over the summer period to also include the views of visitors and the tourism sector.