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20 Oct 2016

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DCC, EDDC, Environment (local), Transport (local)

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FoI to EDDC – what response given to DCC on preferred new road route

“If EDDC has responded in any way to DCC expressing a view about the choice of routes for the A30 that they are currently consulting on, can you please let me know what that view was and what planning policy guidance you had regard to when deciding what route to support and what the advice was from your planning officers (if any) that you obtained?”

http://eastdevon.gov.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/freedom-of-information-published-requests/

3 thoughts on “FoI to EDDC – what response given to DCC on preferred new road route”

  1. Another irony about to be exposed:

    Hugo Swire: The parts of the A30 / A303 to be expanded are not in his constituency, but he wades in and demands it be dual carriageway (4 lanes) rather than alternating dual lanes (3 lanes) – without regard as to whether the extra money would be better spent on e.g. East Devon’s NHS services which are (to understate it) creaking at the seams.

    EDDC: Despite a large proportion of the A30 expansion being in East Devon, as far as we know EDDC has made no comment or representation. Certainly it has never been debated in Council or any of the Committees as far as I am aware.

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    • Actually Paul I think the picture may be more complex.

      The A303/33 has been upgraded over many years (I recall when it was all 2-way and a bit of a challenge). Having 2-3 way road has long been a recognized safety disaster, and it creates pinch points and queues, and accidents and deaths. More demand for hospitals I hear you say. But Devon and Cornwall rely on tourism as their major economic inputs – there are no large industries outside of education and NHS and the Met Office?

      So we do need to make it easy for tourists to get in.

      The current A303 is fabled for its jams at peak times, but we won’t woo tourists with chaos – even the airlines have managed to figure that out.

      I completely agree with your point that EDDC refuses to acknowledge tourism as a central plank in the Devon economy and refuses to invest or advertise – or even have a plan for how to develop that economy. You are right in my view to criticise them for economic incompetence.

      Dreaming that some major industry (other then house building or care services) will mystically appear and make everything good has been a dreadful failure for a long time now – but they are lost up the ivory tower perhaps.

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      • Isn’t “trickle down” from Hinkley supposef to save us all here in East Devon!

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