A HIGH level meeting this week turned the spotlight on growing traffic congestion in Okehampton ? and calls for a relief road to solve the problem.
environment Ed Chorlton.
It was requested by Mr Burnett, who had asked about the possibility of a relief road along Oaklands Drive, bridging over to the industrial estate.
He said he had been ?inundated? with letters from individuals, businesses and councillors about the need for a relief road ? and a bus and coach depot.
Following the meeting, Mr Burnett said he was pleased that ?at last?, both the county and borough councils were ?seriously considering the traffic problems in Okehampton?.
?What we have done is discuss the nature of the traffic problems and the fact that this is going to be debated during the West Devon Borough local plan process,? he said.
?I want people to have their say and they can do so by writing to me and by making their views known to the inspectorate. I want this debate to be in the open ? not behind closed doors. There has to be a solution to the traffic problem in the centre of Okehampton.?
Mr Burnett said Okehampton has had to take an enormous amount of development.
?Residential and other development ? but particularly residential development ? has given rise to severe traffic congestion. This was predicted when each of the three supermarkets were planned,? he said.
Borough chief David Incoll said the meeting was a means of putting all the issues on the table.
?We want to provide a local road for local people. Clearly, the town has grown economically in the last few years ? which is great news, but it means more traffic,? he said.
He said there was concern that congestion might encourage people
to shop at supermarkets on the edge of Exeter.
?This is all about making life easier for local people and ensuring the continued success of the town.?
The local plan inquiry starts in Okehampton next week and Mr Incoll said the problem would be highlighted to the inspector.
?Because he is sitting in Okehampton, he cannot fail to see the traffic issue and how the town is dependent on one set of traffic lights,? he said.
Devon County Council wants the issue discussed by letters and representation, but Mr Incoll said the borough had urged it to allow the matter to be debated before the inspector in the open.
Okehampton mayor and county councillor Christine Marsh said if the bypass had been built on the other side of the town, access would have been far easier.
She said the relief road had to be seen as part of a bigger picture: ?The town isn?t going to stop growing. It is ongoing, so we must be looking not just ten, but 20 years ahead.
?All we were looking for was a little local road. It has to be in the right perspective ? if we can keep the focus on that we might get it quicker.?
Cllr Marsh said it was essential to come up with a concept ? it could not be looked at in isolation.
She said both the negative and positive sides needed to be examined.
?Putting a road in is an expense and Okehampton is just one of 100 places in the county. We are not unique ? we have to justify our needs.?