“… pending a site visit.”
“The excessive gradient of the proposed cycle route on the approach to the A375 could lead to a cyclist losing control and being struck by a vehicle on the A375.” [Road Safety Audit]
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A lot of work has gone into creating safer walking and cycling routes in the Sid Valley. However, support for the current proposals for a Sidford to Sidbury Cycle/Footpath ” is flagging” – largely due to safety concerns.
Yesterday, the county council’s planning committee met to consider the planning application – and “resolved that this item be deferred pending a site visit and then brought back to the next available committee meeting”. [See: Agenda for Development Management Committee on Wednesday, 5th February, 2025, 2.00 pm – Democracy in Devon and video at Development Management Committee – Wednesday 5 February 2025, 2:00pm – Devon County Council Webcasting]
The Report of the County Planning Manager “recommended that permission is granted… subject to consideration and determination by the Committee before taking effect”.
The report looks at the consultation responses – only one of which actually supports the proposal. Otherwise, the town council’s main objection is that, whilst it “supports the principle of a cycle and pedestrian route”, there is the “potentially dangerous passage onto and through Hillside with a dangerous exit from Hillside onto the A375”.
And this is the main concern received and acknowledged in the report from local residents or and district councillors.
Similarly, as also quoted in the manager’s report, the Sidmouth Cycle Campaign “supports the creation of a safe route for active travel between Sidford and Sidbury, but objects to the current proposal as the northern end of the scheme is considered dangerous”.
Going online to the Planning Register for Planning Application – DCC/4404/2024 – under ‘associated documents’, there is a list of ‘consultations and correspondence’, including five representations from the Sidmouth Cycle Campaign and two from Cllr John Loudoun.
The latest from the SCS, dated 27th January, reiterates that “we fully support the intention to provide a safe route for active travel between Sidford and Sidbury, but are against the current proposal for Phase 1 as it is unsafe”. The representation also provides “a suggested amendment to the current planning application for Phase 1, that we believe would go some way to addressing the concerns outlined above, concerning safety and lack of connectivity to Phase 2.”
The earlier submission from the SCS, dated 21st November, supports the objection to the current proposal “as it is unsafe for the following reason: The Road Safety Audit (RSA) provided by Devon County Council recognised the safety problem at the northern end of the scheme where cyclists will exit Hillside onto the A375 (Problem 4): The excessive gradient of the proposed cycle route on the approach to the A375 could lead to a cyclist losing control and being struck by a vehicle on the A375“.
Cllr John Loudoun, the District Council Ward Member for Sidmouth Rural and the Sidbury Ward Member for Sidmouth Town Council, provided a substantial submission on 23rd July: It is unquestionable that there is a necessity for a multi-use path to connect Sidbury with Sidford and beyond. Currently there is no safe way to get from Sidbury to Sidford unless residents either use a vehicle or the limited public bus service. Otherwise getting from one location to the other currently require residents to traverse the A375, which is unsafe. I have set out my main concerns about this application and how it fails to fully provide a safe and useable multi-use path route that will connect Sidbury to Sidford and beyond. [See also: Sidbury To Sidford Multi-Use Path Planning Application Response – John Loudoun 4 Sidmouth Rural]
On 4th December, Cllr Loudoun provided a further comment where he stated that he “fully concurs with and supports the comments that were submitted by Sidmouth Cycling Campaign in its submission dated 21 November 2024.”
And in a further submission made for the county council’s planning committee meeting of 5th February, Cllr Loudoun provided specific points about the site for the proposed route, including photographic evidence, and gave detailed responses to the Report of the County Planning Manager.
Significantly, Cllr Loudoun asked the planning committee to defer its decision after committee members had visited the site and considered the proposals in situ for themselves.
This is indeed the decision the planning committee came to yesterday.
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