WESTBURY residents turned up at The Laverton in force last week to quiz Wiltshire Council over local highways issues.
The well-attended Westbury Area Board meeting gave the opportunity for local people to pose questions to representatives from Wilshire Council surrounding local highways issues important to them. They pressed the council representatives for an update regarding a possible Westbury bypass.
Many residents gave detailed accounts of how heavy HGV traffic on the A350 through the town is damaging road surfaces, worsening air quality and increasing traffic congestion in Westbury.
The representatives included Wiltshire Council’s director for highways and transport, Samantha Howell, head of sustainable transport, Allan Creedy, cabinet member for transport, street scene and flooding, cllr Caroline Thomas, and John Derryman from the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
When asked about a potential Westbury bypass, residents were told 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.
Allan Creedy said, “Currently, the study has been submitted to the Department of Transport and we are trying hard to push this along to the next stage. If you think of that route as a corridor, the A350 is at the heart of it and we would look at things like a bypass for Melksham and Westbury, as well as other improvements. This could be the best possible chance to try and secure a continuing mandate for that. The next funding period is in 2025, so we will work hard to make sure our voice is not lost in that.”
What is Wiltshire
Council’s Plan B?
Westbury Mayor, cllr Mike Sutton, asked what Wiltshire Council’s alternative plan was to help alleviate the many issues resulting from heavy traffic through the town, given that discussions over a Westbury bypass have been taking place for decades.
He said, “We’ve had many promises about a bypass in the past and it’s my view that it is never going to happen. My question to Wiltshire Council is, you’ve heard the distress of the people in the town and you know there is a problem, so what is your Plan B? What can we expect to see in the next two years?”
The response given was that the plans for the bypass are Plan B and the reactive and preventative work Wiltshire Council is currently undertaking through the county’s road network is Plan A and will support residents over the next few years.
Cllr Thomas added, “We will keep maintaining the A350 to the highest standard that we can with the resources that we have. This is the best chance in a very long time to secure the funding for the improvements to the whole of the A350 corridor going north, as part of this Dorset to M4 south coast study.”
The response by residents was, “That isn’t good enough – it’s just kicking the can down the road.”
Residents of Fountain Court on West End asked for assurances that their road, which is on the A350, would be maintained “to the highest possible level.” Given that a Westbury bypass is not something that will happen in the immediate future, they said they were concerned about the impact of heavy traffic which, they said, is causing damage to houses through vibrations as they drive over potholes. In response, cllr Thomas that, “All I can do is assure you that from the prioritisation process you will be looked after. The more traffic that is on your roads, the more damage is likely to occur and surveys are more likely to pick up structural defects as well as surface defects, so you are likely to get more attention on the roads that are affected by HGVs. But it is down to the prioritisation process that is based on evidence and data.”
Samantha Howell added, “As part of the local transport plan review, we will be prioritising the freight management strategy, which would look at protecting and maintaining the asset.”
Mane Way bridge
Cllr Matthew Dean asked for an update about the proposed new bridge over the railway at Mane Way. He was told that the Wiltshire Council is committed to the bridge, using funds from the nearby Spinnaker estate, and they will now enter discussions with Network Rail to finalise the design.
Full written responses to the questions posed at the meeting will soon be available on the Area Board section of the Wiltshire Council website.
Pictured: Westbury traffic.
