A scheme to extend Dinan Way and regenerate Exmouth Town Centre are among five schemes from the county to be put forward in a bid to get nearly £100m of Government cash.

Devon County Council’s cabinet, when they meet on Wednesday, June 9, are recommended to give approval for the council to work with the relevant district councils to submit bids to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

The Government’s Levelling Up Fund was announced at the 2020 Spending Review to support communities in order to regenerate town centres, enable investment in cultural facilities or upgrade local transport infrastructure.

A programme of schemes in Devon have been identified which cover a range of transport modes and spread the bids over a wide geography, with each scheme demonstrating a net gain in biodiversity, a reduction in carbon and air quality improvements.

The five schemes identified are:

Exmouth – Completion of Dinan Way and town centre improvements

Okehampton – new rail station & transport hub

Cullompton – Town Centre Relief Road

Teign Estuary Trail and associated cycle links

Lee Mill – Slip Road and associated local improvements

Working with East Devon District Council, a package bid which includes the Dinan Way extension will be submitted.

Dinan Way currently forms a partial ring road around Exmouth, but it lacks the final connection to the A376, and as a result, traffic from Dinan Way has to use unsuitable residential road, and furthermore, goods vehicles accessing the Liverton Business Park, surrounding employment & retail area and the road to Budleigh Salterton are signed to travel through residential areas and past the school on the periphery of the town centre.

The Dinan Way extension proposals, which secured planning permission in 2017, will provide an improved pedestrian/cycle connection to the Exe Estuary multi-use trail and has potential for better bus services to Exeter.

This will form part of a wider bid covering Exmouth, with other proposals focusing on the regeneration of the town centre, including interventions utilising district owned land to enhance the existing town centre assets which could include new mobility opportunities, better accessibility and wayfinding and leisure and cultural attractions.

The total cost of the programme is approximately £92m, the report says, which would include £74.3m in capital grant from Government, £12m from other contributions and a contribution of £5.7m from Devon County Council.