General Discussion

Hi Folks,

Just thought I'd let you all know that despite what this newspaper report of a year ago says about the Sainsbury roundabout/Gatehouse Farm link road being in place sometime during 2021 .............

4 Jun 2019 - “Confirming the grant funding agreement with Homes England will unlock early delivery of the Dawlish DA2 link road and bridge. This will fulfil ...

.................that I've been told from them wot would know that er............that timescale just ain't gonna be met.

2024/2025 perhaps?

Who knows?

How long's a piece of string?

Will we ever see it built in our lifetime?

Well, to give a flippant answer I guess that depends on how old we are 

A serious answer? I'd be looking at 2025 at the earliest.

If anyone wants to know why I think that let me know on here and I'll try and explain why I have come to that conclusion. 

At Dawlish Town Council meeting held early last month it is minuted that County Cllr John Clatworthy reported that;

Regarding the Link Road I have been told there is a meeting with Persimmon this week regarding the draft legal agreements and it is hoped they will be in place later in the summer and the Planning application will then hopefully be made in the autumn. The application will only be in respect of the bridge as Persimmon will be building the road to the Sainsbury roundabout. 

So, it has taken 4 long years to progress what was decided upon in 2016 (see newspaper report below) to where we are now (see my posting above this one).  Doesn't auger well for that link road being completed anytime soon, does it? 

A newspaper report from 4 years ago:  http://www.dawlishnewspapers.co.uk/article.cfm?id=102686&headline=Link%20road%20deferred%20until%20homes%20are%20built&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2016  

All this stuff on the link road reminded me of this submission I sent to TDC back in October 2015. 

  "TRANSPORT & HIGHWAYS

Question: Is the function of this link road, to be known as Secmaton Avenue, a through road linking Elm Grove Road and the A379 Exeter Road or not? I ask as there appears to be a contradiction in what function you expect this road to carry out. :"  

at the Dawlish Town Council meeting held 2.9.20 County Cllr John Clatworthy reported that:

"Draft Agreements still need to be completed in connection with the Link Road so until they are exchanged a date cannot be given when the planning application for the road will be submitted to Teignbridge District Council."  

In County Cllr John Clatworthy's report to Dawlish Town Council meeting to be held on 6. 10. 20 he writes that;

"Link Road- I understand negotiations are still ongoing regarding the outstanding agreements and it is necessary they are completed before the planning application for the Bridge can be made, in the meantime Persimmon have received planning permission for residential development and the road."  

With regard to the above report from Cllr Clatworthy, at the recent town council meeting Cllr Gary Taylor, the TDC executive member for planning, told the meeting that: "regards the link road bridge from Langdon Hospital to Shutterton, an application had now been made."

From the minutes of the Dawlish Town Council meeting held 1.9.21.

County Cllr Martin Wrigley reported that: " The decision to proceed with the link road had been implemented and work was now underway to compulsory purchase the land required to affect the construction of such;" 

and now a planning application

Documents related to this Application are available here.

You can comment on this application using this form.

If you click on this link you should be able to see two maps, one at the top of the article but scroll down a bit to see the other - showing where the link road is scheduled to be located.

https://dawlish.nub.news/n/new-dawlish-link-road-coming-soon-as-part-of-860-new-house-build

Why on earth do we need all these new houses in Dawlish! It's not like they have been built to house many of the less fortunate local people. Which I believe was our snidey governments reason to build millions of new homes around the country in the first place.

Not exactly giving much to the green agenda either laying waste to thriving ecosystems and farmland whilst building sub standard accomodation and selling them for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Okay so.......see my posting above dated 29th September 2021 concerning Cllr Wrigley's remarks and Compulsory Purchase Order.

I have been looking through the planning document concerned with the development of the Gatehouse Farm/Secmaton Farm/Persimmon Development area.

The link road will go across these three areas.

In the planning document that I have been looking at it says the following.. Note that we are now in 2022. My emphasis in red.

"3.44 The delivery of a completed link road as described is strategically important to the sustainability of this allocation and the existing community. The council will therefore consider the need to use Compulsory Purchase powers to ensure and if necessary accelearate its delivery. CPO powers could be used where any area of land within the allocation (which is necessary for the delivery of the link road) does not gain planning permission in a timely manner and at least by 2020 for development which broadly accords with the aims of this Development Framework Plan and the Local Plan. The Council will also consider using Compulsory Purchase powers where the development of the link road within any Development area fails to commence within a reasonable period or at least by 2021." 

https://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/media/1786/da2-spd.pdf

Gatehouse Farm has outline planning permission to be developed and the first of the planning applications to start developing has recently been submitted to TDC. 

Persimmon is in the process of building.

Secmaton Farm has no planning permission of any kind for development. Not even outline. Secmaton Farm is situated between Gatehouse Farm and the Persimmon Development. So the question is: has a CPO been enacted on the whole or part of Secmaton Farm?  Because without Secmaton Farm's land there can't be any link road.  

Dawlish Link - Elm Grove Road to A379 Exeter Road

Extracts from the Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment to Devon County Council’s cabinet July 2021

Area 3 = Secmaton Farm

My emphasis in red.

“Following a refusal of planning permission for 201 dwellings in Area 3, the landowner of Area 3 has written to TDC to advise that they currently no longer wish to proceed with the development or infrastructure on their land.

Without Area 3, the bridge and link road cannot be built.

TDC, together with DCC, will undertake land negotiations with all the landowners, including Area 3, with the aim of securing a land agreement or otherwise the purchase of the land required to deliver the infrastructure works. If these negotiations fail it is proposed a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) be considered.

It is intended that, where possible, that land will be acquired through negotiation. However, should it be necessary DCC will take on the responsibility for the Compulsory Purchase Order process which will run in parallel with negotiations to reduce the risks associated with not securing the land.

The two key risks are: a) Problems in achieving a planning consent due to the impact of the scheme on Shutterton Brook. b) Unsuccessful Land Agreements and the need to progress a CPO and the possibility of this not being successful.

A new Link Road is an integral element to ensure the successful delivery of 860 new homes in north west Dawlish. The site complies of five separate Areas and multiple landowners. Following a refusal of a residential planning permission, the landowner of Area 3 has written to TDC to advise that they currently no longer wish to proceed with the development and the central section of the Link Road. As a result, Teignbridge District Council are asking Devon County Council to progress design, planning and assist in land acquisition of the Link Road. If these land negotiations fail it is proposed DCC consider a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).”

To read the full report click here https://democracy.devon.gov.uk/documents/s36111/Dawlish%20Link%20-%20Elm%20Grove%20Road%20to%20A379%20Exeter%20Road%20-%20Final.pdf

There is a letter concerning the missing link road on page 17 of the latest Dawlish Gazette (Thursday 17th March 2022). Letter is headed Get Used to More Construction Traffic in Dawlish. 

Please bring its contents (by word of mouth/other forms of local social media) to the attention of all those living in and using the Elm Grove area. That includes all those, many of whom have young famiilies, who live in the new developments already built in the Gatehouse Farm vicinity.

The issue is not that Gatehouse Farm will continue to be developed (for it will be).  The issue is that until the link road is completely in place all construction traffic, and subsequent increase in residential traffic, will need to use Elm Grove Road/Elm Grove Drive and Sandy Lane (and, depending on direction of travel, I guess some might also use Langdon Road and the streets around Newlands).

Oh and........even if the link road were to be completely in situ linking the Gatehouse end with the Sainsbury's roundabout end I understand that construction traffic would not be compelled to use it. Ergo lots of construction traffic could still be using the Elm Grove area when Gatehouse Farm and Secmaton Farm get developed.

See the thread concerning the Secmaton Farm development planning application 21/02674.

It seems that Devon County Council (the highways authority) and the owner of Secmaton Farm must have come to some kind of 'arrangement.' as it now seems that the link road across Secmaton Farm will be built before the land is developed for housing.  

Development Area 3 = Secmaton Farm