HOPES of a northern bypass for Okehampton to solve the town centre traffic problems were dashed at a public meeting on Wednesday.

Cllr Kevin Ball, county councillor for Okehampton Rural, said he ‘agreed that the road would be the best solution’ — but that at a cost of £13-million, Devon County Council could not afford to build it.

The road, which would take traffic around the back of Okehampton’s supermarkets and across the River Okement has been discussed for a decade but was ruled out by the county council three years ago.

The costs are so high because it would cross a farmer’s field and connect with Oaklands Drive near the Lodge Hill junction, which is narrow. There is also the issue of crossing the river and the retirement development at Riverside now stands beside that junction.

‘Because of the technical reasons, the cost of it makes it prohibitive really,’ said Cllr Ball. ‘The most recent estimate was around the £13-million mark, which is an awful lot of money and county doesn’t have the money for that sort of project. I know the project will make a big difference to us in the town but on the wider scale of things it is a small project unfortunately.’

He was speaking at a public meeting called by Devon County Council to discuss proposals to remodel three junctions in town by removing the traffic lights and introducing some new pedestrian crossings.

See a full report of the meeting in next week’s Okehampton Times