West Dean – Safer Roads and Community 20s

Once you have registered for the webinar, a link to the event will be shared with you through email, by mid-day on the day of the event.  

If you or anyone you know are unable to share your feedback via the online channels, copies of our engagement materials and a hardcopy survey can be found at:

These materials will also be available at our events.   

About Speed and Road Safety improvements in West Dean

Gloucestershire County Council are sharing proposals for the delivery of the Safer Roads and Community 20s initiative, in West Dean.

These proposals are being brought forward in the first tranche of proposed locations within the Safer Roads and Community 20s initiative, because they scored highly in the prioritisation exercise. This exercise considered local road safety and public health challenges. 

The proposals cover West Dean, including Parkend, Elwood, Sling, Bream, Whitecroft, Pillowell, Yorkley Slade, Edge End, Berry Hill, Five Acres, Cannop, Viney Hill and Oldcroft. The proposals would introduce more consistent speed limits across these communities. Most residential streets are proposed to become 20mph, particularly in areas where people live, shop, travel locally and spend time with family and friends.

Alongside this, lower speed limits are proposed on key routes entering the villages and hamlets to support safer transitions into 20mph areas and improve conditions for people walking, wheeling and cycling. Together, the changes aim to reduce the risk of collisions and support safer and more sustainable travel choices.

In some locations, existing 30mph and 40mph speed limits would remain where they are considered appropriate and are working effectively.

Specific proposals for West Dean can be viewed on the interactive map.   

Why are lower speed limits needed in West Dean?

Between 2021 and 2025, 121 road casualties were recorded across the West Dean area, with 31% resulting in people being killed or seriously injured.

The majority of casualties occurred on the area’s main road network, with 61% recorded on major roads. Roads with a 30mph speed limit accounted for 31% of all casualties, highlighting the importance of initiatives that encourage safer driving speeds and improve road safety within communities.

Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, accounted for 24% of all casualties. This underlines the importance of measures that help create safer streets for everyone, particularly those who are more exposed to the risks and impacts of road traffic collisions.

The casualty data supports continued investment in safer roads and lower-speed environments, helping to reduce the risk and potential severity of collisions while making it easier and safer for people to walk, wheel and cycle within their communities.

Next steps  

Following initial engagement, if feedback shows broad support for the Safer Roads and Community 20s initiative within an area, we will launch a formal Traffic Order (TO) and statutory consultation process in early 2027. This consultation will follow our formal TO process, which can be found on our website here.   

During this time, you will be able to submit written representations by email or letter to the addresses on the Notices of Intention and Gloucestershire County Council’s TRO webpage.  

After the TO consultation window closes, all representations made are considered by the relevant decision-maker, who will decide one of the following outcomes:  

Once a decision has been made, we will communicate the decision and next steps. If approved for delivery, we will look to deliver the scheme in West Dean in mid-2027.  

Contact us  

At this stage, we are collecting feedback on an area by areas basis through comments on the interactive map and survey. We will also be collecting feedback at events with hardcopy surveys available at local libraries. We do not expect any detailed feedback through email. However, if you have any difficulties taking part, please email speedlimits@gloucestershire.gov.uk. 

You can sign up to updates on the Safer Roads and Community 20s initiative by registering for our newsletter here.