Lee Mill slip roads

The results of this consultation can be seen in the Consultation Report.

A public consultation is being held on a possible improvement to the A38 eastbound off-slip at Lee Mill, between 17 November 2020 and 18 December 2020, to seek the views of local stakeholders, businesses and residents.

Background

When the A38 Lee Mill junction was built, a formal eastbound off-slip from the Plymouth direction was not constructed. Instead, the historic Plymouth Road has been used for access. This road has urban features such as frontage development on both sides with a mixture of private and commercial premises, traffic calming and narrow pavements. It is inappropriate for slip road traffic, leading to concerns over noise, air quality and safety.

In recent years, Lee Mill has evolved with the industrial estate and village growing. Lee Mill has emerged into an ‘out of city’ employment and retail centre, yet it remains served by a slip road that is not fit for purpose.

Devon County Council is aware of the substandard nature of Plymouth Road, and previous work to manage vehicles via traffic calming has been undertaken.

Traffic counts demonstrate that Plymouth Road currently carries approximately 5,400 vehicles a day and is used by nearly two thirds of industrial estate trips.

Data also shows that 25% of vehicles travelling along Plymouth Road are goods vehicles; this is significantly higher than expected along what would otherwise be a minor urban road. It is designed to operate a different function to that of a slip road connecting to the strategic road network.

Devon County Council has therefore been exploring the feasibility of a new slip road for traffic entering Lee Mill from the west.

Proposal

The proposal involves the construction of a new A38 eastbound off-slip to the east of the existing slip road. This would connect traffic to the industrial estate and the village via a new roundabout which would replace the existing priority junction where Beech Road and Plymouth Road meet.

The existing eastbound off-slip would be stopped up to through traffic and no longer provide access from the A38. This would allow Plymouth Road to return to an appropriate function.

Consideration has also been given to the fact that the proposals are in the vicinity of the National Cycle Network Route 2, which crosses Beech Road near the proposed roundabout junction. To enhance cycle connectivity and safety, improved cycle facilities will be included.

The consultation leaflet also contains details of the proposals and a plan of the scheme. In addition to the information above, the scheme plan within the leaflet shows:

• the new slip road which is proposed to be constructed, with a verge (required for visibility) along its northern boundary
• the slip road leading to a roundabout which would connect traffic to the industrial estate and the village:
  • the western exit towards the village via Plymouth Road
  • the northern exit to Lee Mill Industrial Estate via Beech Road
  • the eastern exit to the A38 eastbound on-slip (in the direction of Exeter)
• the roundabout with vegetation in its centre and a footway beside the verge north of the western and northern exits from the roundabout

Following the close of the consultation, the project team will review responses to gain an understanding of local opinion.

If there is support for the scheme, we will continue with its design and development whilst exploring the long-term funding options.

Have your say

There are several ways to provide feedback on this scheme:

• Please read the information provided above and have your say using our online questionnaire. If you wish to access plans while completing the questionnaire, we recommend opening the questionnaire in a new window or tab. If you require a paper feedback form, please get in touch using the contact details below.
• Give feedback directly to a member of the project team at one of the consultation events.

Consultation events

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, no physical consultation events will be held. However, members of the project team will be in attendance at the following online events:

• Consultation webinar: 24 November, 6pm – 8pm
  A short presentation covering the scheme proposal by the project team, followed by a question and answer session. (This event has now taken place, a recording of the presentation can be viewed online.)

• Virtual ‘drop-in’ consultation: 9 December, 12pm – 2pm
  An opportunity to dial in at any point during the two-hour window to talk to the project team.

Events will be hosted on Microsoft Teams and will be accessible on the internet or by telephone. To register for either event, please email transportplanning@devon.gov.uk.

If you would like further information, please get in touch using the contact details below:

Address: Transport Planning, Matford Offices, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QD

Phone: 0345 155 1004
Email: transportplanning@devon.gov.uk

FAQs

What consideration has there been given to protecting public transport services that use the Plymouth Road A38 access?

We fully appreciate the importance of sustainable transport. We are in liaison with the relevant public transport operators to explore scheme design options.

How will the National Cycle Network be effected where it crosses Beech Road?

To enhance cycle connectivity and safety, improved cycle facilities would be included. The next stage of design would carefully consider the best options for achieving this.

What are the next steps for the project? Is there funding?

The project team will review consultation responses to gain an understanding of local opinion. If there is support for the scheme, we will continue with its design and development. There is currently no funding for the project, however, public support at consultation will be critical to securing long-term funding options.

Accessibility

We take accessibility seriously and recognise that some of the information presented in the files available on this page may not be fully accessible to someone using assistive technology such as a screen reader. If you need guidance or an alternative format, email transportplanning@devon.gov.uk with details of any preferred format and the assistive technology you use.