A COUNCILLOR has called on highway chiefs to take a closer look at the existing road network in Wellington.

Members of Wellington Town Council are becoming increasingly concerned that Wellington’s roads cannot cope with the ever-increasing volumes of traffic.

And with around seven housing developments on the horizon bringing hundreds of new homes and thousands of new vehicles – the problems are just going to get worse.

Cllr Steve Mercer, speaking at the town council’s monthly meeting on October 6, said: “When was the last time there was a detailed assessment made of Wellington’s road network?”

Councillors have been getting extremely concerned that a lack of infrastructure with regards medical services, education and suitable roads will not be sufficient to deal with a large influx of new residents.

They feel that there is a lack of joined-up thinking as developers look to build up to 1,800 homes in Wellington over the coming years and the town could become swamped by what one local resident described in the summer as a “tsunami of prospective housing proposals.”

Cllr Andrew Govier, who is one of Wellington’s three representatives on Somerset Council, said he would raise the question with the highways authority about the town’s road network.

But he hinted that with Somerset Council cash-strapped and in the midst of a financial emergency, highways officials might not be over-willing to commit themselves.

“I fear that if we wanted them to carry out an assessment, that the town council would have to pay for it,” said Cllr Govier.

“Our roads are too narrow and we have got a lot of cars on them. There is no easy route to get around this.”

Cllr Mercer added: “I’m not trying to solve the impossible, but things are getting silly, so I propose that we could start the process.”