AN all-party backed bid to return the controversial Whitchurch Rural Gateway to two-way working was narrowly defeated at a meeting of the West Devon partnership committee this week.

West Devon Borough Council members clashed with their county council colleagues over the future of the unpopular rural gateway, introduced two years ago by the partnership committee.

The borough called on the committee to restore two-way working on the single-track route between Whitchurch and Grenofen as a matter of urgency, certainly before the next Tavistock Goose Fair.

The borough motion declared the gateway was 'irrelevant to the perceived traffic problems near Whitchurch Primary School' and a 'mistaken project from the outset'.

Borough councillors also said a major undesirable side-effect of the gateway had been to divert traffic along Anderton Lane.

A Devon County Council statement read out at the meeting before the motion was debated said although some of the county highways decision-making powers were delegated to the partnership committee, if the members made a decision going outside of that framework, the county council would refer it back to the county executive.

County council representatives also said the expense of removing the gateway, part of a £26,000 package of road safety measures, could endanger other major road projects.

West Devon Cllr Roger Mathew accepted the partnership committee had made a mistake when it first approved the scheme, which he said had 'manifestly failed' to meet its stated objectives.

'The drawbacks of the scheme very much outweigh the benefits,' he said.

Cllr Mathew said he was disappointed at the attitude of the county council.

'There is very little point in having a partnership committee reflecting local concerns, if when a scheme has manifestly failed to meet its objectives and has given rise to a large number of drawbacks, officers of the county council effectively tie the hands of this committee,' he said.

West Devon Cllr Dick Eberlie said the majority of people in Tavistock were still 'worried and angered' by the gateway, and found the experience of driving along it 'maddening'.

But borough ward member and West Devon mayor Richard Phillips did not support scrapping the gateway:

He said: 'No-one likes traffic calming, but this scheme does work. I am convinced it does fulfil its objectives which were to reduce the amount of noise and traffic.'

County Cllr Bill Cann said although he accepted the gateway was not pretty, or of the best design, it was clearly doing its job.

And county member Gretta Madigan also supported the gateway.

'The aim of the scheme was to try and persuade the travelling public they should travel slowly and carefully in their cars, along that stretch of road.

'Let's make the road safer and let people know this is a country road and one that should be driven along carefully and slowly,' she said.

Cllr Madigan suggested the success of the scheme could be built upon by extending a rural gateway on Anderton Lane, which had seen a significant increase in traffic since the Whitchurch scheme had been introduced.

Cllr David Stapleton said he would be in favour of a similar gateway scheme for Anderton Lane, but he questioned whether such a scheme was viable.

The borough had previously called for the gateway's removal in February, but had been informed by the county council it was a matter for the partnership committee.