Confirmation – Highways Works Programme and Road Closure

The road closure commenced on 3 January to the Brixham Road and will complete on or by 31 March.

During working hours of 7am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, during the road closure, each end of the closure will be manned to stop vehicles and to answer queries or provide information to residents, deliveries and refuse and recycling lorries.

At all times during the closure, residents, deliveries, refuse and visitors have been, and will be, afforded access to the Brixham Road properties along Brixham Road from one end of the closure only. Roadform has, and will, continue to liaise with each property and confirm access and routes on a regular basis as the works progress.

The road will be re-opened for the Easter period and will remain open to traffic but thereafter works will continue under traffic management until completed in May 2023.

Persimmon has received permission for Roadform to work longer hours and increase resources to accelerate the works and minimise the road closure period.

Roadform has contacted all affected Brixham Road residents prior to commencement of this phase to discuss works being carried out, access arrangements and to understand any specific needs or issues they may have.

Contact details including 24 hour contacts during the works are;

• Greenlight Highways (Traffic Management Contractor): Greenlight to be contacted in all TM instances first. 0800 8044612 - 24hrs number
• Roadform Civil Engineering Ltd: 01803 331564 – 24hrs number

Any queries should be emailed to Amie Harris  aharris@roadformcivilengineering.co.uk

The junction of Goodrington Road / Dartmouth Road will be manned 8am to 6pm until 3^rd February as a minimum to continue to adapt these lights to better ease the flow of traffic. The junction will also be manned at February half term to adjust the flow to meet the differing traffic demands at that time.

Windy Corner/ Brixham Road junction will remain closed to all vehicles during the closure (other than emergency vehicles and Brixham Road residences) to speed up traffic flows.

The impact of the road closure has been monitored closely with Torbay Council, community support groups, the public transport sector, emergency services and local businesses, and positive dialogue and reaction has ensured that the closure has been implemented successfully. Weekly meetings with Torbay Council continue to assess the closure’s status and seek to evaluate and react to any immediate concerns or third party considerations.

The diversion route timings are as predicted and, as far as we are aware, no significant issues have been experienced to date resulting directly from the closure. Persimmon apologises for any delays experienced and will continue to monitor the diversion route to react to peaks in flows or unusual delays. Roadform is also continuing to liaise with road users and neighbours.

The physical 278 road widening works have progressed well in the period. De-vegetation works are complete, and Persimmon has been able to retain some trees which were consented for removal.

Deep drainage continues from Whiterock southwards, and the road widening kerb lines are being established and Brixham Road widening works have started. The on-site roundabout has been largely formed.  The works are currently on programme for re-opening the road on 31^st March and finishing this phase of work after Easter through to mid-May under traffic management measures.

Persimmon remains in daily contact with Roadform and the Highways Department. Roadform and their TM contractor drive and manage the diversion route daily and react to traffic peaks and any associated issues as they arise.

Work in progress: photos show drainage works, road widening works and new roundabout

Traffic Management Post Road Diversion

The diversion route will cease at the end of March 2023. After that date, traffic management will be required to complete the works as well as the Brixham Road and Windy Corner works. This will cause delays on the Brixham Road but Persimmon will review the impact and timing of the works with the Highways Department to minimise disruption and install appropriate signage to manage the traffic.  We will update on the timing of works and traffic management in March.

Emergency Vehicle Routes

Persimmon has been in regular liaison with the Emergency Services. Emergency vehicles can be provided with an alternative diversion route at all times during the working day.

In the event of a short-term closure on Dartmouth Road, with permission of the Police and Highways Authority, this route can also be used as an alternative traffic route which will be managed by the relevant Authority depending upon the nature of the incident.

In the event of a significant incident occurring on Dartmouth Road, Persimmon has committed to re-opening Brixham Road as soon as they can under traffic management until Dartmouth Road is re-opened.

Pedestrians and Cyclists 

A cycleway will be maintained on Brixham Road to link to the existing cycleway.  Pedestrian routes are also signposted.

Overview

Persimmon and Roadform are committed to minimising the disruption caused by the road closure. They are engaging and liaising with a number of organisations including Emergency Services, Torbay Council, Torbay Officers, the NHS, Brixham Chamber of Commerce, Brixham Fishing Industry and local residents on Brixham Road.

There have been a few issues and disruption to individuals.  Persimmon and Roadform are responding to these issues as and when they arise and will continue to do so.

January 2023

Persimmon Homes has recently acquired the Inglewood site located on Brixham Road. As part of our commitment to working with the local community, we will be producing a monthly newsletter to keep all informed. The first newsletter of the series includes an introduction on who we are, our plans for the site and for the local area.

We understand how important it is for the local community to be involved in the process. We believe the significant investment we are making in the area will create a sustainable community as well as leave a lasting economic, social and environmental legacy. Working in collaboration with Deeley Freed Estates Ltd we strive to provide the best development outcome for all.

Persimmon is committed to the highest standards of design, construction and service while we aim to build homes for the future in sustainable communities. Our philosophy is to make it unique, make it personal. We want to uphold the highest safety standards and leave a legacy that delivers economic, social and environmental value to the communities we build. We want to create Inglewood into a development for all, with community areas such as the orchard, allotments and large areas of green open space. We will also provide community access to the areas beyond including the Nords and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

As seen in previous newsletters by Stride Treglown, the outline of the plan is for the construction of 373 homes, with the reserved matters application also now having been submitted. The development incorporates green open space, a local primary school, public house, and play areas. This development will not only produce amenities and houses for local people but also reduce the strain on White Rock school and create a biodiversity net gain (BNG). Alongside this we will plant native trees, and produce grassland / pasture land for species such as Cirl Buntings.

Alongside this vast investment, Persimmon will also contribute over £2million to Torbay Council and the local area for the benefit of residents and businesses with targeted investment in the local economy and key public services.

Working alongside nature is also a critical component in the development which is why we have undertaken numerous ecological mitigation strategies. These include the introduction of bat boxes, habitat planting of native species, woodland plan, wildlife pond, construction environmental management plans (CEMP) and BNG assessments.

Species such as Greater Horseshoe Bats and Cirl Buntings have been carefully monitored and evaluated by trained professionals to ensure they are not disturbed with reports including the ecologically sensitive lighting scheme produced.

The proposed site layout blends building and landscape into one with large sways of open space, recreational areas and play spaces for children. The developed areas have been split into character areas each providing their own unique identity while installing a community feel across the whole site.

The transition from Paignton’s hard urban edge into the surrounding landscape has been captured through lower development heights, countryside access for the wider community and sensitive lighting to reduce impacts on the neighbouring AONB. We understand how important tourism is to Paignton which is why we are working to create a symbiotic relationship between environment and development so everyone can enjoy the area.

December 2022

Confirmation – Highways Works Programme and Road Closure

Works will commence on 3rd January on the Brixham Road under a road closure. To aid traffic flows in the morning
the road closure will be delayed to 9.30am.

The road closure will extend as per the red hatching on the plan above from 3rd January to 31st March. Persimmon and the contractor, Roadform, will endeavour to finish the closure earlier and continue the works under traffic management if at all possible.

During working hours of 7am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, each end of the closure will be manned to stop vehicles and answer queries or provide information to residents, deliveries and refuse and recycling lorries.

At all times during the closure residents, deliveries, refuse and visitors will be afforded access to the Brixham Road properties along Brixham Road from one end of the closure only. Roadform will liaise with each property and confirm access and routes on a regular basis as the works progress.

The road will be reopened for the Easter period and will remain open to traffic but works will continue under traffic management until completed.

Persimmon has asked permission to work longer hours and increase resources to accelerate the works and minimise the road closure period.

Persimmon will continue to engage with Torbay and Roadform (the contractor) to implement this opportunity but to balance this against causing disruption to the residents. We are awaiting formal consent to this request which is due in early January after the statutory consultation period.

Roadform has contacted all Brixham Road residents prior to commencement of this phase to discuss works being carried out, access arrangements and understand any specific needs or issues they may have.

Contact details including 24 hour contacts during the works are;

• Greenlight Highways (Traffic Management Contractor): Greenlight to be contacted in all TM instances first.
  0800 8044612 - 24hrs number
• Roadform Civil Engineering Ltd: 01803 331564 – 24hrs number

Any queries should be emailed to Amie Harris aharris@roadformcivilengineering.co.uk

Persimmon will work with Torbay Highways department to manage the flow of traffic resulting from the road closure and the junction of Goodrington Road / Dartmouth Road will be manned 8am – 6pm for the first 3 weeks as a minimum to adapt these lights to better ease the flow of traffic. The junction will also be manned at February half term to adjust the flow to meet the differing traffic demands at that time.

Double yellow lines will be installed from the Dartmouth Road junction up Goodrington Road to Grange Road to avoid any delays from parked cars in this area and if HGV’s cause bottlenecks the junction operatives will be manned with Stop / Go signs to manage traffic flow along Goodrington Road if required.

Windy Corner/ Brixham Road junction will remain closed to all vehicles during the closure (other than emergency vehicles and Brixham Road residences) to speed up traffic flows.

The contractor will also regularly monitor the diversion route during the day to assess the impact on access to and from side roads and properties fronting Dartmouth Road to understand the impact and amend the junction controls appropriately. The lights at Windy Corner and Long Road can also be adjusted to ease traffic flows. At the outset the traffic solution will not be perfect but the iterative process of re-sequencing and re-phasing will improve and manage traffic flows to reduce journey times.

A HGV (recommended) diversion route will be signposted along the A2022 (Totnes Road) to Paignton and then along the Dartmouth Road to ease flows as the Dartmouth Road / Goodrington Road will be a two way traffic light junction with green the priority for traffic running on Dartmouth Road.

Traffic Management Post Road Diversion

The Diversion route will cease at the end of March 2023. After that date, traffic management will be required to complete the works as well as the Brixham Road and Windy Corner works. This will cause delays on the Brixham Road but Persimmon will review the impact and timing of the works with the Highways Department to minimise disruption.

Emergency Vehicle Routes

Persimmon have been in regular liaison with the Emergency Services. Emergency vehicles can be provided with an alternative diversion route at all times during the working day. This is indicated in blue, green and purple on the plan below.

In the event of a short term closure on Dartmouth Road, with permission of the Police and Highways Authority this route can also be used as an alternative traffic route which will be managed by the relevant Authority depending upon the nature of the incident.

In the event of a significant incident occurring on Dartmouth Road, Persimmon have committed to re-opening Brixham Road as soon as they can under traffic management until Dartmouth Road is reopened.

Pedestrians and Cyclists

A cycleway will be maintained on Brixham Road to link to the existing cycleway as shown in green below.

The existing cycleway and pavements along Brixham Road will be shut for the first 3 weeks of January and alternative routes signed diverting along Steed Close to Gibson Road and along Kingsway Avenue as shown below.

This route will also be used at times during the works which will be signed and notified in advance.

Overview

Persimmon and Roadform are committed to minimising the disruption caused by the road closure. They are engaging and liaising with a number of organisations including Emergency Services, Torbay Council, Torbay Officers, the NHS, Brixham Chamber of Commerce, Brixham fishing Industry and local residents on Brixham Road.

This regular newsletter is designed to appraise the wider public of the timings of works and an update will be issued in January 2023. Persimmon wishes you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Overview – Why are these Highways Works needed?

The approved housing development at Inglewood requires highway improvement works along Brixham Road. These will enable access to the site and will improve traffic flow. These works are required and are part of the planning permission granted by the Secretary of State in January 2021 (Application Reference: P/2017/1133).

The works comprise:

• Widening of the junction at Long Road;
• Raising and widening Brixham Road to improve forward visibility and traffic flows;
• A new site access roundabout;
• Two new pedestrian crossings on Brixham Road to allow connectivity of the site and new primary school to the White Rock and Hookhills area;
• The improvement of traffic flows through Windy Corner and;
• Drainage connection works for the development via a Section 104 Agreement with South West Water.

The approved planning permission requires the completion of all the above highway works before the first occupation of any house. All pre-commencement planning conditions have been discharged. The works are subject to a Section 278 Agreement, which is the agreement between the developer and Torbay Council Highways Authority to carry out work on the public highway. This defines the phasing, traffic management and detailed design of the works, all of which have been agreed upon with Torbay Council officers.

Persimmon Homes Cornwall and West Devon Ltd has worked for almost two years with Torbay Council officers to minimise the impact of the works to reduce the programme from that originally designed in the scheme approved by the Secretary of State.
The key changes that have been made to reduce the impact of the works are:

1. To improve forward visibility, the lowering and widening of Brixham Road (1 meter lower and 1.3 meters wider) combined with its consequential service diversions and renewals has been changed to the raising and widening of the road (1 meter higher and 1.3 meters wider). This is quicker and more straightforward to build but still requires a road closure as the drainage and utility services run through the middle of this narrow road. This variation has been approved through a Section 73 permission by Torbay Council.
2. Persimmon has agreed with the utility companies that, rather than divert the medium-pressure gas main, 33 Kva electricity cables and mains water pipes that run down or next to the road that, they will provide concrete capping and rafts to these services to reduce the risk of programme delays and accelerate these works.
3. Persimmon has agreed to purchase an easement through a field to the south of their site owned by a third party. This enables them to run the foul and surface water drainage in the fields rather than on the highway. This will reduce programme time working in the road.
4. Persimmon has asked Torbay Council for permission to work longer hours on a Saturday (13 x Saturdays from 8am to 6pm rather than the permitted time of 8am to 1pm) and some evenings (10 evenings to 9pm). The contractor will also increase resources to accelerate the works and to minimise the road closure period. This needs to be balanced against causing disruption to the residents that live on Brixham Road.

Persimmon and Roadform confirm that a road closure is required for some of the works due to health and safety requirements so that their operatives can work without risk of injury from traffic. The closure is also required to allow them to:

• build the road up by 1 meter, and widen it from 6 meter to 7.3 meters,
• divert, disconnect and alter a significant number of services in the road,
• install drainage at depth in the highway,
• create new crossings and a roundabout.

Due to the key changes 1 to 4 above, the road closure period will be reduced from four to three months and will be from early January to the end of March 2023. The works will however continue to mid-May but the works in April and May will be under traffic management. The works are still proposed to be completed in three phases.

Phase 1 (October 2022 to December 2022) - Brixham Road off-highway roundabout works.

Persimmon Homes has instructed Roadform Ltd as the contractor. Roadform have commenced the construction of the new roundabout on Persimmon’s land only, not on the public highway. This work will continue until Christmas 2022. Undertaking this work early enables the period of disruption to the Brixham Road when the on-highway works are being undertaken to be reduced. Access to and from the site will be managed and controlled. There will be no disruption to the main highway during these works other than for 5 days in late Noveber during the hours of 9.30am to 3pm under traffic management. This is for the investigation and verification of service locations and depths.

Phase 2 (January 2023 to May 2023) - Brixham Road, new roundabout, southern crossing and S104 drainage works on highway.

To undertake the works safely and as quickly as possible, a road closure to traffic is required (3 January to 30 March). The planned diversion will run along Goodrington Road and Dartmouth Road. Please note that Goodrington Road is wider (7.3m) than the existing narrow sections of Brixham Road (6m). The proposed diversion route is indicated on the plan below.

‘Residents Only’ access will be maintained at all times for those properties located within the road closure zone. This will be controlled under the temporary traffic management system.

An alternative HGV diversion route is being considered by the Highways Officers to direct HGV’s along the A3022 to Paignton and then along the A379.

The proposed road works will continue until 12 May however the road will be re-opened at the end of March. No work will be undertaken for two weeks during the Easter holidays from the evening of 30 March to the evening of 16 April 2023. Following that date, the remaining works will be undertaken with traffic management. Resident access, post, deliveries and refuse access will always be maintained through this programme of work.

Roadform will contact all Brixham Road residents prior to the commencement of this phase to discuss works being carried out, access arrangements and to understand any specific needs or issues they may have.

Phase 3 (May 2023 to November 2023) – Long Road and Windy Corner works.

After completion of the Brixham Road works, the Long Road and Windy Corner junctions will be improved from mid-May until the summer moratorium and then from September until completion. At all times traffic will be able to flow through these junctions under traffic management.

Road Diversion Impact

The proposed road diversion along Goodrington Road and Dartmouth Road adds 0.8 miles to the travel route between the Long Road and Windy Corner Junctions. This route will be signed but early warning notices will be in place from Newton Abbott suggesting alternative routes.

Persimmon has appointed a Highways Engineer to assess and model the relevant data to confirm the impact of using the diversion route. The engineer has confirmed that the existing route from Long Road to Windy Corner is 1.1 miles. Due to its narrow elements and the tailbacks at the traffic light junctions at each end, peak traffic time delays can be experienced.

In normal traffic conditions, the diversion route will add 3 minutes to a journey time. At peak times the Engineer confirmed that based on the information available, an 8 to 10 minute delay may be experienced (i.e. 5 to 7 minutes longer than driving the route at normal times) when the proposed traffic light junction is installed at the Goodrington Road/Dartmouth Road junction.

Persimmon will work with Torbay Highways department to manage the flow of traffic. The Goodrington Road/Dartmouth Road junction will be manned 8am to 6pm for the first three weeks as a minimum. This will enable the operatives to adapt these lights to better ease the flow of traffic. The junction will also be manned during the February half-term to adjust the flow to meet the differing traffic demands.

Double yellow lines will be installed from the Dartmouth Road junction, along Goodrington Road to Grange Road to avoid any delays from parked cars in this area. If HGVs cause bottlenecks, the junction operatives will utilise Stop / Go signs to manage traffic flow.
Windy Corner/ Brixham Road junction will remain closed during the road closure to all vehicles (other than emergency vehicles) to speed up traffic flows. The traffic lights at this junction will be turned off and temporary lights installed which will remain on green to enable the traffic to continually flow unless triggered by pedestrians crossing.

The contractor will also regularly monitor the diversion route during the day to assess the impact on access to and from side roads and properties fronting Dartmouth and Goodrington Roads. This will inform the impact of the diversion and the contractor will amend the junction controls appropriately. The lights at Windy Corner and Long Road can also be adjusted to ease traffic flows. The traffic solution will not be perfect at the start of works but, the iterative process of re-sequencing and re-phasing the temporary lights will improve and manage traffic flows to reduce the impact on journey times.

Traffic Management Post Road Diversion

The diversion route will stop at the end of March 2023. After that date, traffic management will be required to complete the works. This will cause delays on Brixham Road but Persimmon will review the impact and timing of the works with the Highways Department to minimise disruption.

No traffic management will be on the highway for the early May Bank Holiday period to ensure full traffic flows are available on Brixham Road.

Emergency Vehicle Routes

Discussions are ongoing with the emergency services about access in the event of an accident on Dartmouth Road. These discussions include providing them with alternative diversion routes during Roadforms working hours. These are indicated in purple, blue or green on the plan below.

This route can be offered for the duration of the works following the relocation of the highway drainage (225m to the south of the development) from the highway into the adjacent field. Please note this is subject to SWW approvals which have been received in principle.

n the event of an accident/closure on Dartmouth Road, (with permission of the Police and Highways Authority) this route can also be used as an alternative traffic route. This will be managed by the relevant Authority depending upon the nature of the incident.

Overview and Audit

Persimmon has committed significant resources to reduce the duration and impact of the road closure. They will continue this through the works programme to endeavour to find ways to further improve matters.

We have instructed an independent audit by a Highways Consultant to assess if a road closure is required and if alternative phasing or methods of work can be adopted. This is due to be published at the end of November. Following publication, Persimmon would be happy to meet the Engineer and the Council to consider any recommendations that may reduce the impact of the works.

Persimmon, their contractor (Roadform) and representatives have held meetings with the Emergency Services, local Councillors, politicians and key local interest groups to explain the plans and solutions. They will continue to do so in advance of the works and liaise regularly during the works. This will enable a full understanding of arising issues and will inform an appropriate and relevant response. Persimmon is also working with the contractor to accelerate their works and reduce the road closure period.

Persimmon is aware that a number of other local highway projects have overrun. Due to Torbay Council’s moratoriums on Highways works, the timing of the works for this project is timetabled during the wettest and coldest period of the year. A significant proportion of the works are weather dependent but, by working longer hours, working with the utilities to sequence and phase their works and by changing the designs to be the fastest scope of works possible, Persimmon will endeavor to minimise disruption.
Contact.

Torbay Council is keen to understand the impact of the works and issues arising from them and ensure that all comments are heard. The recent consultation by Torbay Council to understand the impact of the works and issues arising from them has now closed. All comments have been fed back and are being considered.

Persimmon has agreed that Torbay Council will be the primary point of contact for all communications.
Please email: engagement@torbay.gov.uk

If there are any specific queries or health and safety communications associated with the ongoing works please email:
Amie Harris aharris@roadformcivilengineering.co.uk

A further newsletter will be issued in December.

Overview – Highways Works

In order to facilitate the approved housing development at Inglewood, highway improvement works along Brixham Road are required to improve traffic flows and access to the site. The works comprise a widened junction at Long Road, the raising of Brixham Road to improve forward visibility, a new access roundabout to the site, two new pedestrian crossings across Brixham Road, the improvement of flows through Windy Corner and drainage connection works through a Section 104 Agreement with South West Water.

Phase 1 - October 2022 to December 2022: Brixham Road off-highway roundabout works

Persimmon Homes have instructed Roadform Ltd as the contractor. Roadform will commence the construction of the new roundabout in the week commencing 10 October 2022. This work will be on Persimmons’ land only and not on the public highway. This work will continue until Christmas 2022. By undertaking this work early, it enables the period of disruption to Brixham Road when the on-highway works are being undertaken to be reduced. Access to and from the site will be managed and controlled. There will be no disruption to the main highway during these works.

Please note that the overall scope of works require a significant level of service diversions. In 2022 there may be some small investigation and diversion works by the utility companies under traffic management but we are seeking to minimise this work and defer the main diversions until the new year and the road closure.

We thank you for your patience during the roundabout construction and we will endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum.

Phase 2 - January 2023 to May 2023: Brixham Road, new roundabout, southern crossing and S104 drainage works on the highway

Persimmon Homes have designed the works to minimise the programme, but to undertake the works in a safe manner as quickly as possible, a road closure to traffic is required with a diversion along Goodrington Road and Dartmouth Road. The closure is targeted to commence on 3 January 2023 and will be as indicated in the plan below.

A diversion route will be signposted as indicated in the plans. ‘Residents Only’ access will be maintained at all times for the properties located within the road closure. This will be controlled under the temporary traffic management system.

The proposed road closure is until 12 May but the road will be opened for two weeks during the Easter holidays from the evening of 30 March to the evening of 16 April 2023. Following that date, the remaining works will be undertaken with traffic management wherever possible but at the end of the programme, a one-week closure will be required for road crossovers and utility connections. As before, residents' access will be maintained throughout this period.

Roadform will contact all Brixham Road residents prior to the commencement of this phase to discuss works being carried out, access arrangements and understand any specific needs or issues they may have.

Phase 3 - May 2023 to October 2023: Long Road and Windy Corner works

Once the Brixham Road works are complete, the Long Road and Windy Corner junctions will be improved from mid-May until the summer moratorium and then from September until completion. At all times traffic will be able to flow through these junctions under traffic management.

Ecological Mitigation Works

The ecological mitigation works, which have included the formation and planting of new hedge banks, the construction of a bat house and the planting of an orchard are now complete. The successful establishment of this planting will now be closely monitored.

Highways Improvement Works and Vegetation Clearance

The next phase of the Inglewood development is the necessary highway improvement works, including the construction of a new roundabout to provide access to the site from Brixham Road and the relevelling and minor widening of a section of Brixham Road.

Torbay Council impose a moratorium on all highways works over the summer holidays. The current construction programme envisages the highway improvement works beginning in September 2022 after the summer period. Works related to the construction of the new roundabout within the development site itself, and not impacting Brixham Road, are planned to begin in Summer 2022.

In order to facilitate the highways works, it is necessary to undertake some vegetation clearance and tree removal in accordance with the approved details. No vegetation removal is allowed to take place during the bird nesting season which runs from March to September without the prior approval of the Council. Therefore, to ensure the highways works can take place on time some tree removal and vegetation clearance works will begin within fields to the west of Brixham Road, along Brixham Road and at the Long Road/Goodrington Road junction from next week. These works are expected to last for two weeks. An ecologist will inspect all affected areas ahead of the clearance works taking place.

A planning application has recently been submitted to Torbay Council, which seeks to regularise the approved highways works plans to align with the final designs that have been agreed with Torbay Council as Highways Authority. Following the grant of planning permission, more detailed design and programming discussions have been held with Torbay Council with a focus on ensuring the highways works minimise the length of disruption to the local road network. This application will be available to view on Torbay Council’s website in the coming days. (Prepared by Abacus Projects Limited / Deeley Freed Estates Limited)

Archaeological Evaluation

The first phase of archaeological investigations across the Inglewood site and at Windy Corner are now complete. These investigations have confirmed there is limited archaeological interest within the development area or at Windy Corner.

A second phase of archaeological investigation is planned for the main site, where a group of infilled narrow ditches associated with pottery, a sling shot and some worked flint suggests the presence of a coaxial (grid-like) field system of prehistoric date in the north of the site. The remains of a possible field barn or animal shelter in the corner of a field, which is not shown on the mid-19th-century tithe map, will also be investigated.

Ecological Mitigation Works

The formation of the new hedge banks across the site is due to complete by the end of October. The contractor will then begin the seeding and planting of the hedge banks in early November. Construction of the new bat house has also commenced and is due to be completed in November.

We are aware that local comments have been raised in respect of dust created by the works and debris on Waddeton Road. Working practices have been adapted to ensure water dampening is used during any works that generate significant levels of dust. Frequent checks of the road conditions are also being undertaken and enhanced road cleaning is taking place.

Highways Works

The service diversions required to enable the highways improvement works to be carried out remain programmed to begin in January 2022. We understand that there has been some confusion regarding the extent of highways works planned for Windy Corner. We confirm that the improvement plans for Windy Corner remain as approved through the planning appeal. The improvement works comprise selective road widening to increase capacity through the junction and a new traffic signal controlled pedestrian crossing across Dartmouth Road.

Overview

Planning permission was granted for the Inglewood development in April 2021. The applicant, Abacus Projects Limited and Deeley Freed Estates Limited, are committed to bringing forward the Inglewood development in a timely manner to ensure that it can start to contribute to the Council’s housing land supply.

The existing tenant farmer will vacate the land at the start of September 2021 to enable works to begin and pre-construction activity will shortly be taking place across the site.

It is important that the local community are kept up to date on the progress of the Inglewood construction. This note is the first of a series that identifies the most immediate activities to take place over the next 8 months and establishes a broad timetable for future works. This note will be updated periodically to provide the local community with the most up-to-date programme information.

Archaeological Evaluation

A programme of archaeological evaluation is required across the development site and within the grass verges at Windy Corner. The manner in which this will be carried out has been set out within Archaeological Written Schemes of Investigation which have been agreed with Devon County Council’s archaeologist.

These investigation works will begin in September 2021 and will involve the digging of trenches. The on-site evaluation works are due to complete in November 2021. The Windy Corner works aren’t programmed to take as long and will be completed in October 2021.

Ecological Mitigation Works

The legal agreement that sits alongside the planning permission is prescriptive in respect of the ecological mitigation works that need to take place before any housebuilding can begin on the site.

The ecological mitigation works extend across the development site and farmland to the west and comprise the following activities:

• Creation and planting of 3.1km of new hedge banks and associated fencing
• Reversion of approximately 16ha of arable farmland to cattle grazed pasture
• Creation of approximately 4ha of spring sown barley
• Creation of 0.6ha of grassland margins around fields
• Creation of 1ha of broad-leaved native woodland
• Creation of a wildlife pond
• Construction of a bat house
• Creation of a community orchard

The construction of the hedge banks is due to commence in September 2021 and will utilise soils from the non cattle grazed pasture parts of the site. The hedge and tree planting will be carried out during the Autumn and Winter of 2021 through to Spring 2022.

The construction of a purpose built bat house will begin in October 2021.

The planting of new pasture, barley and grassland margins will begin in March 2022 alongside the creation of the off-site wildlife pond.

The timetable for the archaeological investigations and ecological mitigation works have been fully coordinated to ensure no disturbance of archaeological remains occur during the construction of the hedge banks.

Highways Works

The planning permission requires the construction of a new roundabout along Brixham Road to provide access to the site as well as a number of other alterations to the existing highway. Abacus Projects Limited and Deeley Freed Estates are in detailed discussion with Torbay Council and the Highways Authority to secure the necessary legal agreements to enable the works to be carried out, including the detailed design, phasing and timetable for traffic management. The focus of this process is to ensure the highways works are programmed to minimise disruption to the local community.

Highways service diversions are due to commence in January 2022. The first highways improvements works to take place are anticipated to be the works at Windy Corner, including a new signal controlled pedestrian crossing, between April and May 2022.

Much of the works associated with the construction of the new roundabout can take place within the site with limited disruption to the local highway. These works are due to commence in June 2022.

Residential development

Abacus Projects Limited and Deeley Freed Estates Limited are currently seeking a house builder to bring forward the main residential development, provision of public open space and play areas.

The selected house builder will be responsible for the detailed design of the proposed development and the submission of applications to Torbay Council to secure reserved matters approval of the layout, scale, appearance and landscaping of the scheme.

The residential development will come forward in phases. The construction of the first phase of houses is likely to begin in January 2023.

The School

Abacus Projects Limited and Deeley Freed Estates Ltd are in discussion with Torbay Council and Coast Academies to bring forward the construction of a new 2-form entry primary school and nursery at the site.

Sep 2021

• Archaeological investigations commence
• Hedge bank construction and planting commence

Oct 2021

• Archaeological investigations ongoing
• Hedge bank construction and planting ongoing
• Bat house construction commences

Nov 2021

• Hedge bank construction and planting ongoing
• Archaeological investigations complete

Dec 2021

• Hedge bank construction complete
• Hedge and tree planting ongoing

Jan 2022

• Hedge and tree planting ongoing
• Highways service diversions commence

Feb 2022

• Hedge and tree planting ongoing
• Highways service diversions ongoing

Mar 2022

• Hedge and tree planting complete
• Pasture, barley and grassland margin planting commence
• Creation of wildlife pond
• Highways service diversions ongoing

Apr 2022

• Pasture, barley and grassland margin planting complete Highways service diversions ongoing