Funding for transport improvements approved

Plymouth City Council has approved funding contributions towards two major transport improvement schemes for the north of the city.

The Derriford Transport Scheme and Derriford Hospital Interchange were recently awarded a total of £11.56 million from the Heart-of-the-South-West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP) – the body responsible for allocating funding for large-scale transport schemes across Plymouth, Devon, Torbay and Somerset.

This includes a £10.16 million contribution towards the £12.72 million Derriford Transport Scheme, which will see a major upgrade to Derriford Roundabout and provide additional traffic lanes, new bus lanes and improved traffic signals, as well as improvements to the William Prance Road junction.

The remaining £2.56 million will be covered by contributions from planned development sites in the area, but the Council has agreed to fund this from its capital budget in advance of receiving the contributions.

The Council has also approved a £840,000 funding contribution towards the new Derriford Hospital Interchange, which was awarded £1.4 million from the HotSW LEP. Delivered in partnership with Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, this scheme will help to reduce congestion and make bus journeys to and from the hospital quicker and more reliable.

Both schemes are part of a ‘master plan’ of highway improvements that will help to unlock development and deliver the 9,000 new jobs and 3,000 new homes that are proposed for the north of the city. This also includes the proposed Forder Valley Link Road, which was recently earmarked to receive £22.5 million from the Growth Fund and the new Marjon Link Road, currently under construction.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “The A386 is the main route between the city centre and the north of the city, including Derriford Hospital, the University of St Mark and St John and the Plymouth Science Park. It is often congested at peak times and proposed developments in the area will put even more pressure on this part of our transport network. These schemes will help to keep traffic moving as our city grows, improve bus journey times and reliability and provide better walking and cycling facilities along this key route.”

More information about the Derriford Transport Scheme is available online at www.plymouth.gov.uk/derrifordtransportscheme.