TRAFFIC speed could be reduced up Butcher Park Hill in Tavistock if a plan to extend the 30 mile-per-hour speed limit is given the go ahead.

Devon County Council (DCC) has submitted a proposal under the Road Traffic Regulation Act to extend the street lighting and 30mph speed limit further up the hill past the new Embden Grange estate which is currently being built.

The national speed limit currently comes into force just after the turning to Redmoor Close, at the same point where the current street lighting ends.

DCC said the extension of the speed limit was to ‘improve road safety’ for all users in the area.

The order states: ‘The proposed extension to the 30mph speed limit is considered necessary to reduce the speed of traffic adjacent to the new residential development scheme at Embden Grange off Butcher Park Hill. This is to improve road safety for all road users in the area. The extension will include a length of restricted road, 30mph by virtue of street lighting, and 324 metres of 30mph speed limit beyond the extent of street lighting.

‘Specifically, the orders will avoid danger to persons or other traffic using the road or any other road or for preventing the likelihood of any such danger arising and to preserve or improve the amenities of the area through which the road runs.’

A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: ‘The new speed limits will not come into force or be displayed until after the consultation is complete and the final decision has been made.’

The traffic order is currently under consultation until July 4.

In its Traffic Order, DCC proposes to extend the 30mph limit ‘by virtue of street lighting’ from a point 16 metres north of the centre-line of its junction with Redmoor Close northwards until a point 146 metres south of the centre-line of its junction with the access road to the Embden Grange development (Crebor Road).

It also plans to introduce a 30mph speed limit on Butcher Park Hill from a point 146 metres south of the centre-line of its junction with the Embden Grange access road, northwards until a point 178 metres north of that junction.

The draft order can be viewed on www.devon.cc/tro and objections or comments must be made in writing via www.devon.cc/tro or sent to County Solicitor, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QD before July 4.