Plymouth City Centre
The 10 point plan that could shape the future of Plymouth's busiest roundabout
Public are being invited to consultation events to find out more about £4.7m project
Millicent Cooke
The people of Plymouth are being asked to share their views on proposals to improve the city's main roundabout.
It's a project which could finally bring to an end years of traffic misery and bring fresh hope of bombed-out Charles Church being made accessible to all.
Charles Cross roundabout, with the iconic church at its centre, is one of the key routes on Plymouth's transport network.
It accommodates the majority of the city's bus routes as well as high volumes of traffic. It is also well-used by pedestrians.
The council has drawn up a document unveiling 11 ways to improve access to all road users, from motorists to pedestrians and cyclists.
The Charles Cross Transport Improvements Scheme will reduce delays and improve traffic flow by increasing capacity for all vehicles and make the roundabout friendlier for pedestrians and cyclists.
The scheme will support the City Centre Masterplan and the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan by providing the infrastructure needed to reinforce the city as a 'regional centre for shopping, employment, education and leisure.'
READ MORE: The four giant 'pineapples on Charles Churches are getting a £100,000 makeover
Improvements under consideration include an additional lane for traffic heading southbound on to the roundabout from Charles Street and a new layout for traffic and pedestrians designed to ease queuing on Exeter Street. There would also be changes to the road layout on Charles Street between the roundabout and the Drake Circus car park to improve traffic flow for both cars and buses.
Charles Church in all its glory
A new pedestrian crossing is also proposed just north of the Drake Circus car park entrance to replace the existing crossing arrangements and provide a more direct link for people walking to the new History Centre when it opens in 2020.
Improvements to Hampton Street and the Ebrington Street junction could also be in the pipeline with plans for the ageing subway to be infilled and replaced with improved surface crossing facilities.
Charles Cross roundabout from Charles Street
Councillor Patrick Nicholson, cabinet member for strategic transport and planning, said: "This scheme is good news for the city centre. Charles Cross is a key gateway to the city centre, and a busy part of the highway network, used by shoppers, businesses, commuters and other visitors to the city.
"Around 40,000 vehicles travel through Charles Cross roundabout every day and there are also high numbers of pedestrians on the surrounding roads.
"Charles Cross is also a crucial part of the city's bus network with over 130 buses travelling through the roundabout every hour of the working day.
"Once completed these improvements will make journeys easier and smoother and provide more reliable journey times for all road users, as well as supporting the growth and development of the city centre."
The scheme will coordinate with the new Bretonside Leisure complex and History Centre development to minimise potential disruption during this period of transformation.
Charles Church, in the centre of the roundabout, will remain unaffected; respected as a monument to those who lost their lives during the Second World War.
A38 incidents in the summer
Three-vehicle collision
Delays after crash
Concrete mixer collides with car
Police officer saved in A38 'tussle'
The Charles Cross Improvement Scheme proposals in full
Pedestrian crossing simplified and improved
Bus gate replaced with dedicated all traffic lane for the Viaduct
New short bus lane introduced to improve bus priority through the roundabout
Relocated bus stops on Charles Street (near Primark)
Old bus stops removed and road space re-designed to accommodate more traffic lanes for all vehicles and improve access to Drake Circus car park
A new, straighter crossing replaces the current three-stage crossing arrangement for pedestrians and cyclists and provides a more direct link to the new History Centre
Charles Street widened to provide an additional lane southbound to improve capacity
Widening to provide an additional lane on the roundabout between Charles Street and Exeter Street
Existing subway removed (this accommodates the additional lane on the roundabout)
Improved crossing facilities on Hampton Street
(Shown on the plans for information only) The new pedestrian crossing on the Viaduct is part of the Bretonside Leisure complex
Where can people have their say?
People will be able to view and comment on the plans at three consultation events:
• Saturday 9 September 10am to 4pm at Plymouth Central Library
• Thursday 14 September 4pm to 8pm at the Plymouth Guildhall
• Wednesday 20 September 10am to 2pm at Plymouth Central Library
Further details and a questionnaire are also available on our dedicated Charles Cross webpage.
The next step is to submit a business case for approval from the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership asking for a £2.1million contribution towards the £4.7million scheme.
If the plans are approved construction is expected to get underway in 2018 and will take approximately a year.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, who was part of a campaign to get the church lit up at night, said council chiefs revealed plans to improve road infrastructure around Charles Cross at a scrutiny meeting in July – although it was unclear exactly what that would involve.
But Sally Farely, head of transport strategy at council, said at the meeting a consultation with the public is set to take place in September this year.
Mr Penberthy, whose grandmother tragically died when her house was bombed during the Blitz, said he hopes the council will use the opportunity to "open up" the green space and ruin in the middle of the roundabout.
Local councillor, Chris Penberthy and Labour's Luke Pollard
During the night of March 21 and 22 1941, the church was entirely burned out by incendiary bombs. And afterwards it was decided to leave the shell as a memorial to the civilians who lost their lives.
Plymouth MP Luke Pollard suggested city planners should use the development at Bretonside as an opportunity to create "proper pedestrian access" to the church – instead of it getting lost in a sea of "fast moving cars".
The Labour politician said: "Charles Church is such an important reminder of the sacrifices Plymothians made during the Second World War and it needs to be more than just the inside track of a roundabout.
"Plymouth needs to be a forward-looking city and developments [like Bretonside] point to that, but we also need to look at where we came from and the sacrifices made.
"Charles Church looks fantastic at night now that it is lit up, but if there was pedestrian access we could put on a programme of events there to remind people of our history and why the bombed out church is so important."