At the Devon County Council Cabinet Meeting last night, the future of the North Devon Link Road was discussed and support obtained to submit a funding bid to the Department of Transport (DfT) by the end of the year for Local Majors Funding.
This is a culmination of months of support from a variety of sectors, but not least the Barnstaple & District Chamber of Commerce Ltd lobbying and attending meetings in support of the economic case on behalf of its Members and businesses across North Devon. In addition, road safety cannot be ignored and the tragic consequences of numerous crashes, not least those more recently this summer, make the improvements necessary.
Devon County Council will be bidding for a share of the £300 million funding available nationally, to hopefully obtain approval from DfT for the Outline Business Case by the end of the year, with a planning application submitted in late 2018. The Full Business Case would be submitted in 2020, allowing construction to start in late 2020, if successful.
Clearly, this is a long-term strategy and it is really important for businesses to respond when information is requested, as it helps to support the economic case for the improvements. The Chamber will continue to lobby on this matter and it will continue to feature in our discussions with Peter Heaton-Jones and others locally & regionally.
We look forward to working with Peter and Devon County Council to support the proposal for improvements as it goes forward to government level.