Tesco sells land vital for town bypass

Tesco has sold a piece of land which is vital to the delivery of a multi-million pound relief road for a town in Devon.Mid Devon District Council said the news marked "the overcoming of another major hurdle to finally deliver the road" in Cullompton.The council got £34m from central government in August to press ahead with the long-awaited scheme.Council bosses said this was "a crucial time" for Cullompton as it also tried to push forward with plans for a new railway station and major improvements to the nearby M5 junction, as well as the creation of a 5,000-home development.
The council has always said the first stages of the 5,000-home Culm Garden Village - first proposed in 2017 - would not be built until the relief road was confirmed.Steve Keable, cabinet member for planning and economic regeneration at Mid Devon District Council, said he wanted the government to "build on this excellent progress" and make funding available to upgrade junction 28 of the M5.Keable said this would "unlock Culm Garden Village in earnest and address historic transport issues within the town".A new railway station is also a possibility for the town, which lost its station to the Beeching cuts in 1964, which saw more than 2,000 stations close.In July 2024, the Labour government said it was scrapping the national Restore Your Railway plans but said it would "attempt to consider the Wellington and Cullompton stations' project".Stuart Hodges, property asset manager at Tesco, said the firm was "committed to supporting the communities we serve" and recognised "the significant benefits this relief road will bring to the town".The bypass, which secured planning permission in January 2021, will run from Station Road in the north to Duke Street in the south.Construction work on the relief road is due to begin in 2026 with the road due to be completed in 2028.

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