AFTER almost an hour's debate at their October meeting and with a 4-2 vote, Crediton Town Councillors are supporting the valley route "as being the best long term solution" for a link road into Lords Meadow Industrial Estate from the A377 Exeter road.

They went for Cllr Richard Adams' proposal, agreeing the town council object "most strongly" to the western route.

Cllr Walter Brown's proposal, that while the town council acknowledged the valley route was preferable, it accepted the road could not be progressed in the foreseeable future because of the flood plain issues, was lost.

Cllr Anne Hughes had wondered if there was a compromise?

Ten councillors were present but two, Cllrs David Nation and John Downes, did not vote because both are members of Mid Devon District Council's planning committee and neither could indicate their preference because they would not then be able to take part in the link road debate and vote at district council level.

This which led to a sharp exchange, with both being accused of putting their comments in such a way that town councillors could be influenced, but both saying their comments had been misunderstood.

Devon County, Mid Devon District and Crediton Town Council member Nick Way reported that the county road designers were doing more work on the plan before it went before the county council Cabinet for a decision.

He said they were looking to improve the junction of the hillside route with Commonmarsh Lane. "This would not change the gradient so much as flatten the top," he said.

The county designers were also looking at the plan put forward by a Crediton businessman that has become known as the eastern hillside route "in a fairly serious way" and putting engineering drawings forward.

Cllr Brown wondered if the Crediton Traffic Action Group petition pushing for the valley route was misleading. It was hoped it would get 2,000 signatures, a "pretty large petition" for a town the size of Crediton.