COUNTY PLANS FOR A371 TOO CONFUSED FOR GOVERNMENT FUNDING (08/02/02)

The recent refusal by DTLR to fund the County Council’s Central Somerset Access Strategy has been placed firmly at the door of the County Council’s Highways and Transport department under County Councillor Tim Carroll.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, David Jamieson MP, claimed that insufficient consideration had been given to the wider strategic context. “It was considered inconsistent with wider planning proposals in their own Somerset Structure Plan” he said.

The residents of Ashcott and Walton, who have been pressing for a relief road and who had been led to believe the end of their prolonged nightmare was near, now feel disillusioned.

“There is now little chance of this plan being resubmitted,” said one local resident, who had been at the forefront of the fight to have a by-pass. “We will have to accept that the constant noise and pollution from traffic will continue to blight our lives for many years to come”.

Conservative spokesman for Highways and Transport. Mike Facey, was incensed. “We questioned the grandiose manner in which this was being presented to Government, on more than one occasion” he said, “but the Liberal Democrat Portfolio holder, Tim Carroll, was adamant he knew best”.

Ken Maddock, Conservative County Councillor for Mendip North-West was also angry. “The decision is devastating for the people who live on the A371 Wells-Cheddar road. It is perhaps a pity that this was ever linked to the Walton & Ashcott by-pass proposals. We now know who is to blame for the failure of these plans. Perhaps in future Tim Carroll will be more receptive to reason.”