Uncertainty over crucial upgrade to M5 junction

A MAJOR upgrade to a Devon M5 junction said to be vital to unlocking the development of thousands of new homes has suffered a blow after being put under review.

- BRADLEY GERRARD

Proposals to upgrade J28 at Cullompton appeared to be progressing well, with funding pledged by the previous government towards the scheme.

But now ministers have released a list of projects they say will be reviewed over the summer to ascertain whether they remain “viable, affordable and deliverable”.

Mid Devon District Council sees the proposed upgrade to the motorway junction as a nonnegotiable piece of the Culm Garden Village puzzle.

Culm Garden is where around 5,000 homes are planned, and proponents of the development claim upgrades to the road network must be made before thousands more residents move into the new properties.

Back in 2023, Mid Devon District Council released a statement saying the then government, led by Rishi Sunak, had included the J28 scheme as part of its Network North programme that sought to make a host of transport upgrades across the country.