Phil Bullivant
TDC and Newton Abbot Town Councillor for Bradley Ward
Newton Abbot
 

Monthly update - August 2019

In terms of Teignbridge the principle issues being faced are:

Investment plans for Newton Abbot and Teignmouth.

Over the last 4 years the council has been looking at how the centres of Newton Abbot and Teignmouth could be improved and deliver the town centre amenities required.

The plans in Newton Abbot involved the redevelopment of the cinema, construction of a new hotel, refurbishment of the Market Hall and adjacent square and development of Sherborne road and Bradley Lane.

The outline received the go ahead from the Council and will progress to the detailed planning phase.

As a result of these plans and how they deliver for residents the Government has recognised the benefits these will bring to the town and awarded the council a grant of £150,000 to assist with the detailed planning.

In Teignmouth the long awaited redevelopment of Brunswick Street also moved ahead with the approval for the development of a town centre hotel.

An area is also allocated for a new medical centre to replace three local surgeries and the local hospital services but these plans are on hold waiting for details from the CCG to confirm their plans.

It is a major issue that the services at the local hospital are net downgraded by this development and our MP (Anne Marie Morris) is championing this case.

In Newton Abbot the issues faced are:-
A) Planning issues

    a. Road closures and road works

There is a great deal of frustration and anger over the ongoing disruption resulting from badly planned works that are taking place on the Ashburton and Bovey Tracey roads (A383 and A382). The contractors are taking a considerable time to complete works and appear to have little regard to how they can mitigate some of the impacts.

Highweek has been effectively isolated with the 6 months closure of Ringslade Road and ongoing cycle-path construction along the Ashburton Road. This has been compounded by the installation of the new gas main
being laid along the A382 where huge delays have been occurring around the Churchill’s Roundabout.

Better planning by Devon County Council is required and should be a top priority for County Councillors.

    b. Infrastructure investment in Hele Park.

Plans to provide a new convenience store and two other facilities are moving ahead with an announcement expected in September with details of the types of services made public.

An area has been identified on the A383 and survey work has already taken place.

    c. A382-A383 bypass.

A planning application has been submitted detailing the construction of the long awaited relief road. The route runs from Forches Cross across to Howton Lane on the A383.

It is expected that the road will be completed by the end of 2021, subject to Developer payments.

B) Green Flag for parks

Parks around the district including Decoy Park again received recognition through the award of Green Flags.

A great compliment to the Teignbridge staff who work hard to maintain their high standards. .

Town Council Issues

The holiday period has limited the amount of activity within the Town council.

I have been looking at local issues and having met with various interested parties identified the grass and weed growth in the roads in the town as being a primary concern.

The lack of grass cutting and ongoing failure to address the weeds and growth in and around the town is a major concern.

I have been looking for input into haw this should be tackled. It will require the town council to allocate money from the precept to address the problem, however, I would appreciate feedback to say whether it is best to increase the precept, or cut back on things the council currently does to release the funds required.

I was delighted to be able to support an excellent Bank holiday Monday afternoon on the Fairways with residents from the Hele Park area.

An afternoon of entertainment (I wish I could sing as well as some of the children who took part in the talent show!) I had the pleasure of running the BBQ and hopefully providing appetising Hot Dogs and Burgers.

The event is arranged by people living in the area and all profits used to support future local events. I understand that over £300 was raised. Congratulations to all!

As usual, please let me know if you have an issue that you think I can help with.

Phil Bullivant
07768355544
[email protected]
(The views expressed in this letter are my personal opinions)