Manadon upgrade gets public's 'broad support'

...BUT SOME CONCERNS OVER LOSS OF NATURE IN £156M SCHEME

- By WILLIAM TELFORD

THE £156m upgrade of Plymouth’s Manadon Interchange has been given “broad support from the public” - but they are concerned about trees being chopped down.

Plymouth City Council said its plans for a solution to congestion at the city’s busiest traffic interchange have received a “comprehensive public and stakeholder consultation”.

The Keep Manadon Moving consultation engaged with more than 12,000 residents through letters, a website, surveys, drop-in events, and popups and generated 669 survey responses as well as more in-depth feedback from focus groups.

It said the results show there was support for the majority of traffic and road layout changes, the strongest of which was for traffic flow improvements such as widening the A386 northbound lane and A38 off slips. Improvements to the proposed pedestrian and cycling upgrades, including a new cycle bridge, were also backed by residents.

But concerns about trees, biodiversity, and wildlife were among the most prominent themes throughout the engagement process.

Residents also raised concerns around potential diversions and disruption during the proposed work.

With the results now in, work has started on using the feedback to create a more detailed design which will be consulted on again next summer. This version will include more detail than before, particularly around the scale of impact on existing features around the roundabout.

Cllr John Stephens, cabinet member for strategic transport and planning, said: "I'd like to thank everybody who got involved in the Keep Manadon Moving consultation.