Plans for Eastern Corridor walking and cycling link

Plans for a walking and cycling route connecting Laira Rail Bridge and the new Saltram Meadow housing estate have been submitted by the Council.

The link will provide pedestrians and cyclists with a traffic-free alternative to this stretch of Laira Bridge Road and Billacombe Road and therefore help to reduce congestion along the A379.

Around 570 pedestrians and cyclists already use the popular new Laira Rail Bridge and this new route is expected to boost numbers even further.

People will be able to access the link via Saltram Meadow and the new pedestrian and cycle crossing currently being built on Billacombe Road, near Broxton Drive.

Future plans include a more direct link into Broxton Drive, by extending the route further along the railway alignment.

The proposals form part of a wider programme of walking and cycling improvements across the city that have helped to achieve a 50 per cent increase in cycling in the past six years.

The planning application can be viewed on our planning online pages – the reference is 16/01089/FUL.

If the planning application is approved it is hoped work will begin later this year, with the new route opening next spring. It will be fully funded through the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership’s Local Transport Board and Section 106 contributions.