£67m road scheme is 'too little, too late'

The North Devon Link Road was supposed to have been completed in 2023

A four-year road improvement project that has cost £67m has delivered too little, taken too long and cost too much, according to the region's MP.

Work on the A361 North Devon Link Road, to improve the stretch between the M5 and Barnstaple, began in December 2020 but has since been modified to cut costs.

Ian Roome, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, said: "Four years to do what has been done is too long."

The Devon County Council member responsible for the scheme said she appreciated people's frustration but said the improved road would be safer and have more traffic capacity.

Ian Roome, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, said the new link road had not been a success

The project - which was awarded £60m of funding from the Department for Transport - was supposed to have been completed in 2023.

Ian Roome, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, said the four year wait was too long for a project which underdelivered.

"It's taken much longer to get from north Devon to the M5 - a vital artery for many businesses, residents and the tourism industry," he said.

Roome said the end result had not provided value for money and would not reduce journey times.

The MP see he could, however, see the benefits of the scheme in improving junctions with a poor safety record.

Creighton Kirk is the landlord of The Castle Inn in the village of Landkey

Plans for an overtaking lane on the section of road just outside Barnstaple between Portmore and Landkey were dropped in November 2022 with Devon County Council blaming "financial pressures" caused by Covid and the war in Ukraine.

Creighton Kirk, landlord of The Castle Inn in Landkey, said: "It's a huge waste of our money at the moment.

"I don't think it's going to increase any traffic flow into the area at all."

Mr Kirk said the project had been "a constant headache" with delays on the main road and increased heavy traffic coming through Landkey.

He said: "We've had nearly four years of limited sleep because of the large wagons travelling through the village - it's been horrible."

Richard Halliday is chairperson of Landkey Parish Council

Richard Halliday, chairman of Landkey Parish Council, said the scheme had not been a success in how long it had taken and the disruption caused.

Mr Halliday said: "The contractor and the county council certainly won't be patting themselves on the back."

But he said there were "some benefits in terms of the safety of the road and the improvements to the junctions".

He also welcomed the bridge that has been built at the Landkey junction that has become known locally as "the bridge to nowhere" as it goes from the Landkey side of the A361 to agricultural fields on the other side.

Mr Halliday said it was good to get the bridge built when money was available and it would be an asset in the future when plans to build hundreds of houses on the land there are delivered.

The Riverside Caravan Park, owned by Nicky Penfold, is just off the A361

Nicky Penfold owns the Riverside Caravan Park just off the A361 at South Molton where a new roundabout has been built.

She said the construction had affected business with customers getting lost due to road closures and some complaining about the noise from works at night.

She said: "It's a lot of money they've spent and hopefully eventually it will help the park with the roundabout."

She described the project as a whole as "a complete waste of money" and said it would have been cheaper and just as effective to put in new speed signs and cameras.

Some average speed cameras have been installed along the road but are not yet in use.

Andrea Davis is deputy leader of Devon County Council and the cabinet member for transport

Nobody from Alun Griffiths Ltd, the contractors for the scheme, was available for comment.

A spokesperson for parent company Tarmac said: "We are happy with the works delivery and looking forward to the official opening in December."

Andrea Davis, Conservative cabinet member for transport at Devon County Council and the deputy leader, welcomed the project when it was announced in November 2020.

She said it was the "biggest transport investment in north Devon for a generation" which would "help unlock the true potential of the local economy".

Davis said the success of the road would be seen when it was fully open.

"What we were aiming to do was increase capacity and improve safety," she said.

She thanked residents for their patience and said Covid had caused problems with the supply of labour and materials.

She said: "We're nearly at the end. I'm incredibly frustrated it's taken this length of time."