Radstock town's road layout plan wins council backing

Councillors have voted in favour of a revised road layout plan for a Somerset town, despite some local opposition.

The plan for Radstock was supported by cabinet members at Bath and North East Somerset Council on Wednesday evening.

The council has the new layout will reduce congestion, create a more defined town centre, and enable the construction of a new housing estate.

Opponents believe it will not improve traffic jams and will take trade away from the town's main shopping streets.

Cabinet member, Roger Symonds, a Lib Democrat councilor, said: "There will be regeneration in Radstock, there will be 210 houses built that will enable young people to stay in their home town if they wish to stay there.

"This road scheme will take cars off the central roundabout where the wheel and museum is, so it will make that junction much easier and it will make less jams in Radstock."

But campaigners are unhappy and will continue to campaign against the project.

Amanda Leon, from the Radstock Action Group, said: "The [traffic flow] modelling they did was insufficient and unconvincing so that remains to be seen, personally I don't think it will make any difference to congestion, it will simply deter anybody from coming to the town centre."

The plans involve linking up The Street, which is currently one-way, and Frome Road in the town centre.