Furious residents from over 120 households in the Colesdown Hill neighbourhood are fighting Plymouth City Council’s controversial decision which closed their road for 14 months to enable a contentious second phase of a cycle and pedestrian route.
The extension which amounts to just 160 metres of pathway at a cost of £3.8 million, which works out at more than £24,000 per metre!
UPDATE: A plymouth City Council Spokesperson has given a statement regarding the editorial, which has been included at the bottom of the page.
The residents, many of whom are elderly and vulnerable, are likely to suffer significant hardship and isolation for the next 14 month closure, which they consider to be disproportionate given the alleged benefits of the scheme.
Colesdown Hill serves as their primary access to shops, GPs, schools, pharmacies and essential services. Isolated elderly residents, including 87-year-old Brian Furse who relies on carers and home service visits to care for his disabled wife, have reported that care workers will be reducing visits due to additional travel time making their schedules unmanageable.
There are also concerns regarding many elderly people relying on taxis which are not always turning up and the additional costs, and working parents of school
aged children worried about how their children will get to school safely and on time.
Their main concern is that Plymouth City Council failed to consult residents and neither did they consult their MP, Rebecca Smith, to assess risk, seek co-operation and goodwill and explore viable alternatives.
They claim that Plymouth City Council has totally underestimated the impact of the road closure on working parents, carers, business owners and vulnerable citizens, giving only three weeks notice of this closure, despite knowing it was coming months in advance.
Residents say that communications have been so poor about the decision making that
underpins this scheme, that they have been forced to inundate council offices with Freedom of Information requests and complaints which create avoidable administration and further cost to the council.
Under pressure, following a petition and complaints, council officials held an emergency information sharing meeting with residents on the day the work started, but failed to answer many of the questions put to them and were unable to appease the packed audience. Emotions ran high, with many elderly and vulnerable residents sharing their fears and concerns of how the closure will impact their lives over the 14 month period.
Another factor which is causing stress is that many of the elderly people are not always able to access WhatsApp which is where Plymouth City Council are proposing to use for key communication regarding the scheme.
Residents of Colesdown Hill have in the past tolerated their main access being closed, although the time line has been relatively short, so lessening the impact.
Anger and frustration is growing within the community, which is pulling together to demand a sensible pause of work to ensure proper consultation.
One resident summed it up by saying:
“The council’s published mission statement says they listen and hear what people want but they have ignored published lessons learned from their mistakes and are simply repeating them.”
What other residents are saying:
Val Wells
“We were given no prior consultation about this scheme or warning it was to happen, until 21 days before closure. This closure will have no benefit to Colesdown Hill residents, yet we are taking the brunt and inconvenience of such a lengthy closure.
“My husband was diagnosed with cancer at Christmas, our daughter lives on the far side of Plymstock and visits us daily to see her dad, as do our four grandsons. The road diversion has added at least five miles to their visits, adding extra time and fuel cost to their already busy lives.
“The devastating impact of my husband’s diagnosis was bad enough, but this 14 month road closure has added to our anxiety.”
Geraldine Smith
“I’ve recently become dependent on my family for lifts to all appointments and shopping. Both my daughters have full time jobs and busy family lives. They are willing to take me wherever and whenever I need assistance, I just feel so guilty now asking for help that the extra distance will impact their lives.
“I had a very good social life, meeting friends, attending clubs and so on. But now I’ve decided not to ask for lifts for most of these occasions. It is making me feel depressed thinking about not leading such a fulfilled and happy life.”
Flick Baxter – a working mum of two young children
“In time this road closure is going to cost me at least an hour a day which I can’t afford. As a working parent with two children who attend different schools and various out of school activities in Plymstock, I make the journey to Plymstock numerous times a day.
“In addition during a cost of living crisis for everyone, we have fuel costs of additional mileage and disruption to both visitors and deliveries. I feel none of the impact on all residents have been taken into consideration whatsoever.”
UPDATE 6/3/26 A Plymouth City Council spokesman said:
“We completely understand and empathise with the residents of Colesdown Hill. We know that these works will cause disruption and for that we again apologise.
“The 14-month closure for traffic is required due to the limited space to work in and the number of pipes and cables in the road and the need to keep Colesdown Hill open for pedestrians and we are doing everything we can to minimise the duration of the closure.
“The requirement for this walking and cycling route is identified in the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan and the Local cycling and walking infrastructure plan – both of these policy documents were consulted on. The scheme was consulted on through the usual planning process and was widely publicised on the council’s website and through the local media. There was not a separate consultation on the closure itself because there were no other options to put to residents.
“South West Water wrote to residents about the first four weeks of the closure in early January and as soon as traffic management requirements were finalised and the scheme approved, we wrote to residents to inform them of the plans. To maximise the notice period for residents, the letters were hand-delivered on 19 January, rather than posted.
“Diversion signs are in place and emergency services, waste services and Wayfinding apps have been notified.
“We have been talking to people with a high level of dependency on care and deliveries and will continue these conversations to see if there is anything further we can do to help.
“The building of this scheme is important to the long-term development of the off-road facility that links Plymstock, Elburton and Sherford with the city centre, which in places is used for over 700 journeys a day.
“When the previous phase of the scheme was constructed, we received significant criticism from those with disabilities as the current path is not accessible for them. We think that it is important that the path can be used by everyone.”
See the follow on report as the Colesdown Hill debate continues HERE
Controversial Colesdown Hill closure continues to bring complaints from local residents
