Council approves major upgrade for busy North Devon junction

Devon County Council has approved a major upgrade to one of Barnstaple’s busiest junctions.

Cabinet members signed off the £862,900 scheme to redesign the A3125/Longbridge junction, which handles around 18,700 vehicles a day and links to the town’s bus and rail stations, Petroc College, schools, industrial estates and North Devon District Hospital.

According to the council’s planning report, the main aim of the scheme is to create “a more welcoming gateway to the town for people walking, wheeling, and cycling” while also improving vehicle capacity along the corridor. 

Longbridge is an historic A-class road and one of the busiest active travel routes in North Devon, with around 5,000 pedestrians and 600 cyclists using it daily. 

The junction connects multiple key destinations, including the town centre, bus and railway stations, Petroc College, schools, industrial estates, the hospital, and other employment and shopping areas. 

At present, the layout prioritises motorised traffic, forcing people walking or cycling to navigate multiple indirect signalised crossings, which can cause frustration, delays, and unsafe crossing practices.

The plans have been shaped by extensive public and stakeholder consultation. 

In the autumn of 2022, a public consultation on the Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan ran from 21 September to 12 October. Improvements for the Roundswell to Pilton route, which includes the Longbridge junction, received 84 per cent support, with over 45 per cent of respondents saying they would use the route at least weekly and 75 per cent expecting to use it at least monthly. 

A non-statutory consultation in autumn 2023 sought views on an earlier iteration of the scheme that had removed all turns into Seven Brethren Bank. 

Of the 514 responses received, 54 per cent supported the proposed scheme, while 46 per cent favoured simply replacing the traffic lights. 

A statutory Traffic Regulation Order consultation in summer 2024 generated two responses signed by multiple businesses, raising concerns about the impact on local custom and potential congestion. 

Following this extensive engagement and at the request of North Devon HATOC in July 2025, the scheme was amended to retain the left turn into Seven Brethren Bank for vehicles under seven metres, improve segregation of the cycleway and pedestrian path, refine the proposed green space, and reconsider crossing types.

Key changes in the approved plans include replacing the three-stage signalised crossing at the west end of Longbridge with a single-stage toucan crossing, converting the two-stage crossing on Seven Brethren Bank into a parallel pedestrian and cycle crossing, and widening Station Road to install a staggered two-stage toucan crossing while extending the two-lane approach to the nearby roundabout to reduce queuing. 

The left turn into Seven Brethren Road will be retained for vehicles under seven metres, while the right turn from Longbridge will be removed.

The scheme is funded through multiple sources. 

Developer contributions total £486,150.

£150,000 comes from Active Travel England’s Active Travel Fund Tranche 5.

Active Travel England is the government's executive agency responsible for making walking, wheeling and cycling the preferred choice for everyone to get around. 

Devon County Council’s Local Transport Plan contributes £226,750. 

Costs of developing the proposals to the end of 2024/25 were £23,766. 

Construction is planned across the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years, with completion expected by the end of 2026.

Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said the scheme will “make it safer and more user friendly for cyclists and pedestrians” and support new development in the area. 

Councillor Caroline Leaver, county councillor for Barnstaple South and Chair of the Council, said the project had been revised after extensive consultation with local businesses and residents, calling it “a great opportunity to simplify the current complicated road arrangement and make it a better environment for people who choose not to use their cars.”