THE controversial closure of Payton Road at Rockwell Green has been postponed following an outcry by residents and local councillors over the short notice.

Somerset County Council intended closing the road to traffic from Monday (Feb 24) for 19 days to allow Western Power Distribution to carry out ‘substation change works’.

They were due to close a 44-yard stretch (40 metres) from the railway bridge toward Rackfield.The signed diversion route would have taken drivers out to the A38 at Holywell Lake and back into town via Exeter Road - a considerable deter.

Town councillors expressed concern that this was a massive inconvenience for a lot of residents. Councillors were also just as concerned at the lack of notice given to the community.

The county council emailed the road closure order to the town council with just one week’s notice, yet the county’s chief executive Pat Flaherty signed the order on February 6, which was ten days before it was emailed.

It is in Andy Govier’s county division and he had asked some questions about whether efforts could be made to let residents get through at peak times etc.

He said: “We were only told about the closure last week. It is completely unacceptable.”

And fellow councillor John Thorne also expressed his concern at the lack and lateness of communication from the county.

He said: “I also pointed out it is only just over four years since there was a 20-day closure of Payton Road which caused huge inconvenience and there was a lot of confusion caused when mixed messages were put out to the community.

“In this day and age it is simply not good enough for the county council to roll over and allow a lengthy road closure like this without insisting on the work being managed in a way which will maintain significant access for local residents.

“And if the county says it has actually negotiated such access, then why on earth are they not telling the community about it?

“We, the public, pay through our taxes for the upkeep of our highways and we should be given much greater consideration when companies such as Western Power say they want to close a road.

“It is high time the process of approving road closures was radically overhauled with more emphasis placed on mitigating the impacts for local communities.

“I felt dreadfully sorry for those residents who were going to be terribly inconvenienced by this work and who would have had to drive for several miles just, say, to buy a pint of milk in Brocks supermarket. Thankfully it’s not now going to happen.”

l A spokesman for the town council said: “Following the recent road closure notification from Somerset County Council, CllrAndy Govier contacted SCC to raise both the residents and the town council’s concern regarding insufficint notification of the closure.

“We are pleased to announce that the road closure has been postponed until further notice.”