South Devon Link Road: 'the biggest single act of environmental vandalism perpetrated against the County of Devon since the Luftwaffe visited Plymouth'

A Devon councillor has expressed his concern about the impact of the South Devon Link Road

By PRSD, on Wednesday, November 30, 2011

South Devon Link Road – possibly not the answer people claim it to be

With the news that the South Devon Link Road is to get the go-ahead, a Lib Dem Councillor has expressed his concern for the impact on South Devon.

Lib Dem councillor Gordon Hook, who represents the Newton Abbot wards of Buckland and Milber has suggested the decision for the go-ahead for the South Devon Link Road is a ‘Black Day for Newton Abbot’.

On his website Gordon says: “It will give the ‘green light’ (no sick joke intended) to the development and in filling of the Aller Valley / hillside opposite Aller Park Road. This, coupled to other proposals in the Teignbridge Core Strategy will see an irrevocable change in both the character of Newton Abbot and also an end to the green lung which separates Newton from Kingskerswell.”

He is also skeptical about the solution a flyover will offer – instead the traffic jam, into Torbay which the link road is intended to ease, will be pushed elsewhere on the road network.

He says: “I wanted to see other alternatives to road building to solve this issue… and still want to see greater investment in decent public transport / park and ride/walk schemes/ investment in electric (and other non fossil fuel) vehicles.

“No one currently knows when the scheme will start, but take a good look at the green fields between Kingskerswell and Newton… they won’t be there much longer. This could yet turn out to be the biggest single act of environmental vandalism perpetrated against the County of Devon since the Luftwaffe visited Plymouth.”

Meanwhile Torbay Labour have voiced their support for the plans

Read Gordon’s full post on his site.