WESTBURY Mayor, cllr Mike Sutton, says that it is “disappointing” to hear that Wiltshire Council has no plans to solve traffic issues in Westbury despite the council being told of how HGV traffic on the A350 through the town is damaging road surfaces, worsening air quality and increasing traffic congestion in Westbury. However, leader of Wiltshire Council, cllr Richard Clewer, has reaffirmed that a Westbury bypass is the “only real solution” to traffic issues in the town.
Representatives from Wiltshire Council’s highways team came to the town in November for a ‘Highways Matters’ event which gave residents the opportunity to quiz them over the council’s plan for a Westbury bypass.
At the meeting, Wiltshire Council said that the ongoing M4 to Dorset Coast Strategic Study, which looks to address poor connectivity from the M4 to the south coast, is the “best possible chance” for this to become a reality. The next funding period for this is in 2025 and local MP Andrew Murrison has been publicly calling for the A350 to be the chosen route for traffic between the M4 and the south coast, due to its implications for a Westbury bypass.
Cllr Sutton says that it’s disappointing to hear that Wiltshire Council’s focus is set on a potential future Westbury “mythical” bypass with no intention to find any immediate or short-term solutions to the problems affecting his residents in the meantime.
“The response from Wiltshire Council when asked about their plans to alleviate the traffic issues in the town was disappointing as they revealed they had no plans or ideas for Westbury, other than a long-awaited road scheme that may or may not materialise and would be some years away due to planning and financial issues if it was ever built,” he explained.
“When asked as to whether they had a back-up plan if there was no bypass for decades or never, they responded that there was no plan B. There was no plan other than to wait for the mythical bypass.
“Other questions raised by residents at the meeting ranged from the noise and vibrations generated by heavy traffic and the subsequent impact on the quality of life to those living in the town, to the increase in cross-town traffic generated by continued development, without any improvements to existing infrastructure.
“When asked what was their response to the air quality action zone that has been in place since 2006, they again responded that there had been no actions and no plans to address the issue.
“They did confirm that it was still their intention, subject to finance, to build the bridge over the railway from Mane Way to the station via the Spinnaker Estate, which will no doubt exercise the minds of those residents there, that they could be living beside a through road.
“It was disappointing to hear that Wiltshire Council had no plans and no ideas to solve the problems of the town.”
Wiltshire Council previously said that 200 HGVs are also being pushed onto Westbury streets as a result of the decision by Bath and North East Somerset Council to implement a Clean Air Zone in the city, combined with the weight restriction on Cleveland Bridge, which has increased the volume of heavy traffic passing through the town.
Wiltshire Council’s response
Cllr Richard Clewer, leader of Wiltshire Council, has once again confirmed that the Westbury bypass is the “only real solution” to traffic issues in the town, but added that they are in discussions with Network Rail regarding the bridge over the railway from Mane Way to the station via the Spinnaker Estate.
He said, “These [Highways Matters] events are proving extremely valuable in highlighting local issues and priorities. The Westbury event featured a wide ranging and lively discussion which covered medium and longer-term strategic issues, as well as a variety of local operational matters. Topics included plans to improve connectivity between the M4 and Dorset Coast, flooding, active travel, HGVs and highway maintenance. We also shared our progress on highways and transport matters, the activities we’re undertaking and heard concerns from local residents.
“The statement from cllr Sutton that Westbury Area Board set up a meeting ‘with’ Wiltshire Council is simply nonsense. Westbury Area Board is a committee of Wiltshire Council and the event was organised by Wiltshire Council to engage with residents and parish/town councils.
“The only real solution to the traffic issues, particularly HGV traffic in Westbury remains a bypass and funding for this is very much within the remit of National Highways. Whilst we will always look to find local improvements where we can, we are focused on the provision of a bypass if at all possible.
“We are opening discussions with Network Rail regarding the bridge over the railway from Mane Way to the station via the Spinnaker Estate, as we will need to agree licences and track possessions before this can be progressed.”
Air quality in the town
Cllr Nick Holder, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for public protection added, “In recent years air quality has generally improved across Wiltshire. Raw data for 2023 suggests that levels of nitrogen dioxide within the Westbury air quality management area were below the annual mean objective for nitrogen dioxide.
“There has however been a significant increase in HGV traffic through Westbury since the unilateral and arbitrary closure of Cleveland Bridge by Bath and North East Somerset Council and we are looking at providing additional air quality monitoring equipment to understand the implications of that, especially with regard to particulate emissions.”
To read the minutes from the meeting last November, which includes all questions and answers, visit https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=173&MId=14819&Ver=4
