A project to make it easier and safer for people in Newtown in Exeter to get around their community and make better use of green spaces has been backed by councillors.
The Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC) has approved the Newtown Community Project, which is a collaboration between Exeter City Council’s (ECC) Live and Move project and Devon County Council.
The £455,000 scheme, funded by Sport England, has been developed since 2021 following recurring engagement with the local community and local businesses.
It will make walking and cycling journeys more accessible and will increase green space to improve people’s health and wellbeing, while also helping to reduce carbon emissions in the city centre.
To encourage active travel, councillors agreed recommendations to:
• prohibit motor vehicles on the southern spur of Russell Street;
• introduce contraflow cycling along Clifton Hill;
• amend waiting and parking restrictions in Belmont Road, Clifton Hill, Clifton Street, Heavitree Road and Russell Street.
Councillor Michael Mitchell, Chair of the Exeter HATOC, said:
“This scheme has come about following extensive engagement with the community, so it’s welcome news that it has now been approved. Schemes like this are about working with the community, not imposing schemes upon them.”
Councillor Thomas Richardson, County Councillor for St Sidwells and St James, said:
“This project is testament to the good collaboration between Devon County Council and Exeter City Council, and I would like to thank all involved over the last few years, including the previous Councillors. This is a project which the Newtown community has asked for, and I am delighted that residents and visitors will be able to enjoy safer travel routes throughout a fantastic part of our city.”
Councillor Duncan Wood, who has responsibility for leisure and physical activity at Exeter City Council, said: “The project is about balancing road use, not restricting it. No vehicles are prevented from travelling through the area. It’s about different types of road users sharing the space safely. This is a community-led scheme, shaped by formal and informal feedback at every stage. It promotes active travel in a safe environment but not at the cost of access by other road users.”
Construction work on the changes to the road layout in Newtown are expected to start either at the end of this year or at the start of next year and is due to be completed by the end of March next year. Residents can find out more at liveandmove.co.uk/newtown