Agenda item

To consider the report of the Assistant Director City Development.

The Principal Project Manager (Strategic Infrastructure) presented a report which sought Members’ approval to enter into a legal agreement with Devon County Council to provide £1.025 million in Community Infrastructure Levy funding to match fund the delivery of a newly configured junction on the A379 at Sandy Park to facilitate right turns for vehicles entering Sandy Park from the west and exiting Sandy Park to the east.  He provided an updated cost for the reconfigured junction of £2.68 million.  It was noted that £1.0 million had been secured through Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal funding, with the remaining £0.655million being contributed by Devon County Council through Local Transport Plan finances. 

The Principal Project Manager (Strategic Infrastructure) offered background information on the Newcourt Link Road.  Distinct from the Sandy Park A379 Junction, the Newcourt Link Road was intended to link Old Rydon Lane to the existing roundabout on the existing spur road off the A379 that provides access to Sandy Park.  He provided an update on the Newcourt link road and confirmed that he had met with the landowner to discuss the expression of intent and discuss Section 106 funding.   He responded to a Member’s comment and confirmed that it was still possible to negotiate Section 106 agreements outside of the CIL regime on a case by case viability basis.

Jamie Hulland, Transportation Manager at Devon County Council, attended the meeting and outlined the benefits of this scheme, which he considered to be critical in facilitating the housing and retail development as that moved forward, as well as alleviating the congestion pressure off Junction 30 of the M5.  He also responded to a Member’s enquiry on the changing priorities following the reduction in the Local Transport Plan (LTP) funding from £9.5 million to £3.6 million, to focus the limited funding to forward design schemes.  He reminded Members that not all of LTP funding was for Exeter, but nevertheless, this scheme was crucial for Exeter. 

Scrutiny Committee – Resources noted and requested that Executive recommend that Council approve making available £1.025 million in Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding available for investment in a newly configured junction on the A379 at Sandy Park on the following basis:-

(1)     no funds to be made available until adequate CIL had been collected or the end/long-stop repayment date in the legal agreement with Devon County Council has been reached, and funding for city centre major infrastructure investments has been secured in line with the resolution of Executive on 10^th February 2015;

(2)     interest that becomes payable in the event that the City Council does not pay the £1.025 million before the end of the long-stop repayment date in the legal agreement with Devon County Council has been reached to be payable from the City Council’s General Fund;

(3)     Exeter City Council CIL funding for the newly configured junction to be conditional upon ‘claw-back’ provisions whereby the City Council would be an equal-proportion recipient of any project cost savings;

(4)     Exeter City Council CIL funding for the newly configured junction to be conditional upon the outcome of an as yet undetermined bid for funds from Highways England’s new ‘Housing and Growth Fund’, with ‘claw-back’ provisions whereby the City Council would be an equal-proportion recipient of any potential reduction in the overall project costs in the event that the bid is successful; and,

(5)     authority to be delegated to the Assistant Director City Development to finalise a legal agreement with Devon County Council that accords with these recommendations, (based upon the model provided by the agreement developed in relation to funding Marsh Barton Railway Station subsequent to approval by Executive on 11 August 2015).