Place major investment in our transport infrastructure
Delivery of this level of growth requires significant investment in transport infrastructure. Within the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan (JLP) the City Council identified a comprehensive series of transport improvements required to support the growing city, encourage walking, cycling and public transport use and address existing congestion and safety issues. This includes the below projects, with an estimated value of over half a billion pounds.
Through successful bids to government transport funding opportunities, many of these schemes have already been completed such as:
- The bus interchange at Derriford Hospital (£2.14m) and the road widening and bus priority at Morlaix Drive (£5.55m) which together reduce bus journey times and make bus timetables more reliable.
- Road widening and bus priority at Charles Cross (£7.40m) was constructed to improve capacity for all traffic through the city centre but also to improve bus journey times and reliability as the majority of the city’s bus routes which have to negotiate their way through this roundabout.
- Newly constructed Forder Valley Link Road (£54.7m) has provided a new connection from the A38 to Derriford to improve access to homes, jobs and health services located in the north of the city. It also delivered new cycle provision, new community paths and pedestrian crossings.
Other schemes are currently in construction including:
- Public transport improvements at St. Budeaux Square
- Installation of new electric vehicle mobility hubs across the city.
Both initiatives are part of Plymouth’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) programme (total value £114.28m) specifically developed to improve sustainable travel choices for the city.
Further projects are in development, such as:
- Woolwell to the George (£36.84m) which will see a new junction to replace the existing roundabout, widening on the A38 Tavistock Road, new cycle ways and improved pedestrian routes and an increase in the number of spaces at the George Park and Ride.
- Schemes for the A38 Manadon Interchange (£156.46) and for the City’s MRN route (£49.96m) are also in development to reduce congestion and improve bus journey times and cycle routes.
- New ZEBRA 2 funding will enable introduction of 50 zero emission, electric, double decker buses on routes operating in Plymouth and the Rame Peninsula as well as the necessary associated charging infrastructure at the Plymouth Citybus depot.
Improvements in active travel facilities
Recent improvements to active travel infrastructure include:
- The continuing extension of the eastern corridor cycle route, which links the city centre to Plymstock and Elburton
- Neighbourhood-level schemes like the recent Somerset Place to Ponsonby Road upgrade
- The Seaton Valley Nature Path, which stretches for nearly two kilometres and links the green space between Tailyour Road and Hunter Close to Derriford Community Park
- Improvements in pedestrian and cycling facilities in projects at Forder Valley, Charles Cross, Plymouth Road, Mannamead Road, North Hill and Morlaix Drive.
In addition, we run the award-winning Plymotion programme which provides personalised travel planning to individuals, business and at events to helping people identify best transport options for the journey they are making.
We also run Bikeability, a nationally-funded programme that teaches children how to cycle confidently, safely and competently on today’s roads
Provide more sustainable travel options
In 2023, we launched Connect Plymouth, a project with a vision to change the way people move around the city. The three main components include the introduction of:
- Beryl Bikes: 500+ hireable electric bikes located a more than 100 parking bays across the city
- An Electric Car Club: Powered by Co-Cars, this project provides a fleet of the new electric MG's that you can be hired by the hour, providing a comfortable and greener way to travel
- The expansion of RV charging bays: a network of over 300 publicly accessible bays for charging electric vehicles spread throughout the city.
Continue to maintain and improve our residential roads and footways
This year we are investing £8.2m in our highway's maintenance budget. This means we will be doing more to tackle the city’s potholes. We are trialling new, innovative techniques. These include a ‘Velocity machine’, a machine that can carry out permanent, durable repairs at a fraction of the cost and, because there’s no excavation, no waste and no heat involved, it creates a significantly lower carbon footprint. The spray-injection patching repairs a pothole in just a couple of minutes and because it applies cold bitumen aggregate, the road can be driven on immediately. In addition, a new ‘Patch and Dress’ technique is being trialled on residential roads, if successful, the process will help minimise the amount of excavation required and result in potholes being filled quicker, with less impact on the local area. Last year we repaired over 11,000 Highway Surface Defects across the city.
Protect our environment
We know that improving infrastructure does mean we sometimes have to make some difficult decisions, including cutting down trees. Sometimes this is unavoidable. It’s a fine balance and important that for every transport scheme we bring forward, there is an appropriate and robust environmental scheme to match the scale of the project.
Tackling climate change is one of the Council’s top priorities, and in March 2019 we declared a Climate Emergency. Through the Net Zero Action Plan, we are committed to encouraging sustainable and cleaner transport, and decarbonising and future proofing the transport system.
Every scheme that we bring forward includes a plethora of measures designed to minimise the impact on the environment.
At first, our designs will always aim to avoid environmental impact. If that’s not possible, we try to minimise it and then if necessary mitigate for any issues on site. When geographical constraints make this impossible, we will mitigate nearby or in place in the city that would benefit from increased bio-diversity.
The guiding principle is trying to put in more than we take out.
A prime example of this was the work done as part of the building of the Forder Valley Link Road. Where we ensured:
- An overall increase in biodiversity, trees, hedgerows and shrubs, with around 14,500 trees planted (more than 30 times the number lost).
- Beginning work on the mitigation before spades went in the ground on the transport scheme, including planting and the installation of 50 bird boxes and 43 bat boxes .
- Dedicated environmental team on hand to monitor and advise on all aspects during the build, advising on issues from water quality and noise to the protection of sensitive habitats and species.
- New wildlife pond providing a new habitat for birds, invertebrates, reptiles and common toads, as well as foraging bats and otters.
- The use of fencing with additional screens and mesh to act as bat flyways to replicate removed hedgerows.
- Otter ledges built within culverts to also allow species (otter / badger) to move through.
It is important to remember that transport schemes are not the only environmental initiatives going on across Plymouth.
Any new planting schemes or new green spaces like parks that are included as part of a transport scheme are in addition to the work that goes into delivering a more environmentally friendly Plymouth through schemes like the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest and the day-to-day activities of the Council’s Environmental Planning function. For example:
- Over the last three years the Council’s Tree Planting Programme has resulted in over 10,000 trees being planted in the city.
- We remain 100% committed to our green infrastructure programmes aimed at addressing challenges of climate change and nature recovery, working with partners to support investment in areas such as:
- A new council owned habitat banking vehicle - a UK leading green finance model to secure sustainable investment into nature recovery
- Delivery of Community Flood Resilience programme focussed on community engagement, flood prevention and nature-based solutions. Currently building a major SUDS project in Central Park.
- Award winning approach to urban rewilding - managing 40% of council grassland for nature as wildflower meadows
- Collaborating with neighbouring authorities on the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest (one of 13 nationally) – delivery of 400+ hectares of new woodland by 2025
- City-wide Nature Connection initiatives with local schools, communities and organisations
- National Marine Park – investment in access and community facilities as well as initiating work to support marine nature recovery
- Developing Poole Farm as a green skills and wellbeing hub
- Significant investments in renewable energy. Installed over 2000 solar panels to date. Delivering ambitious Heat Decarbonisation Programme of heat pumps and networks on our estate. Planning one of the largest community owned solar farms in the country at Chelson Meadow.