Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/23/69) seeking approval for three Devon Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIP), attached.

The plans are attached as;

Appendix I – Heart of Teignbridge LCWIP

Appendix II - Barnstaple with Bideford and Northam LCWIP

Appendix III – Exeter LCWIP

Three Impact Assessments have been prepared for the attention of Members at the meeting, which are attached and also available at;

·       Teignbridge Local Cycling and Walking Plan - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk)

·       Barnstaple with Bideford and Northam Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk)

·       Exeter Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk)

RESOLVED

(a) that officers be asked to review the three Local Cycling Walking and Infrastructure plans at Appendices I, II, and III against the policy paper Plan for Drivers; and

(b) that the outcome of that review be brought to a future Cabinet meeting.

(Councillors Biederman, Brazil, Dewhirst and Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/23/69) which presented three Devon Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans, circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

The full plans were attached to the agenda as;

Appendix I – Heart of Teignbridge LCWIP

Appendix II - Barnstaple with Bideford and Northam LCWIP

Appendix III – Exeter LCWIP

Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) were a strategic approach to identifying cycling and walking improvements at the local level. The framework was set out in the Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which formed an important part of Government’s strategy to increase the number of active travel trips. LCWIPs were also an important tool in realising the Government’s Gear Change vision which expected local authorities to deliver high quality walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure. LCWIPs were therefore an important aspect of making cases for future active travel funding, whether through external grants or in negotiations with developers.

The Council had completed three LCWIPs: Heart of Teignbridge (HoT), Barnstaple with Bideford and Northam (BBN), and Exeter which covered the three key urban areas identified in the existing Cycling and Multi-Use Trail Network Strategy and they sought to outline the future walking and cycling infrastructure priorities over the next 10 to 20 years.

The LCWIP’s set out walking and cycling proposals in the respective geographies, the schemes being considered the most strategically important, building upon existing established active travel networks and with greatest potential to attract developer funding.

The Cabinet noted that all three Plans had been endorsed by the relevant Highways and Traffic Orders Committees.

The Heart of Teignbridge LCWIP (Appendix I) set out walking and cycling proposals along five key corridors, strategically identified as missing gaps in existing plans for active travel intervention, being Newton Abbot Town Centre, Kingsteignton, Buckland and Milber, Wolborough and Kingskerswell and Torbay. There were additional proposals within the NA1 Houghton Barton and NA3 Wolborough strategic site allocations.

The BBN LCWIP (Appendix II) set out four walking and six cycling proposals in Barnstaple, Bideford, and Northam. A summary of the proposals was outlined in full but related to Alexandra Street (Barnstaple), Barbican Road and Queen Street (Barnstaple), Yelland to Barnstaple, Roundswell to Pilton (Barnstaple), Whiddon Valley to Barnstaple and Landkey to Barnstaple.

The core focus of the Exeter LCWIP (Appendix III) was within the administrative boundary of the city, setting out 20 cycling routes and 5 city-centre walking routes strategically identified as ‘missing gaps’ in the existing walking and cycling network. The cycling routes were E1 – Exeter St David’s Station to Topsham, E3 – City Centre to Cranbrook, E4 – Exeter University to Science Park, E5 – Stoke Hill to St Thomas, E6 – ‘Nurses Way’ Stoke Hill to Marsh Barton Station and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 401