Council looking at how to spend levelling up cash

Plans to fill a subway outside Exmouth train station received negative feedback from residents

Devon County Council has said it will enter talks with the government on how to spend millions in levelling up funding after earlier plans were rejected.

The county council earlier this month threw out plans to close a subway and create new pedestrian crossings in Exmouth as part of the Exmouth Gateway plans due to opposition from residents.

Councillors previously heard the rejection of the scheme meant Exmouth would miss out on about £4.4m of funding.

DCC has now said it would discuss how else the cash could be used with the Department for Transport (DfT).

Plans to close a subway in Exmouth were withdrawn

A spokesman said its discussions with the DfT would include looking at using the money for extending Dinan Way to connect the road with the A376 and move traffic away from homes.

The cash is part of a wider Destination Exmouth bid to the Levelling Up Fund, which secured the town a total of £15.7m.

It came with match funding of about £1.75m from DCC, East Devon District Council and Exmouth Town Council.

When the subway plans were put out in its first public consultation, 60% of respondents did not support closing the subway and 64% rejected the idea in a subsequent survey.

This led to DCC withdrawing the plans.

Council 'exploring options'

Some people, including Tiverton and Honiton MP Richard Foord, whose constituency does not include Exmouth, raised concerns the £4.4m might be used to cover the cost of the Dinan Way project rather be used to improve active travel.

But DCC said its discussions with the government would include possible active travel improvements around Dinan Way.

"The decision not to proceed with the Exmouth gateway scheme was based on public feedback, and we couldn’t continue with the scheme without the support of the local community," a DCC spokesman said.

"We can now formally explore options with the DfT, including whether we can use remaining levelling up funds on delivering wider active travel benefits in the Dinan Way vicinity."