IN 20 years' time a link road in the wrong place "could leave Crediton in a mess with people wondering how it ever happened."

This was the view of a member of Crediton Town Council at its May meeting. For months four councillors had been preparing a town plan, which formed the basis of a large part of an exhibition prior to the annual town meeting earlier this month.

Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking, praised for her work before and after the exhibition, had written an 18-page report from public comments made at the exhibition.

However, when Cllr David Nation said he did not have the time to open and print out the report; it appeared that only two of the eight councillors present had done so and read it, which disappointed Cllr Brookes-Hocking.

Commenting that the report was "one of the most positive things" he had been involved in whilst serving on the town council, Cllr John Downes said it was "unprecedented and effective in communicating with the town".

He supported Cllr Nation in asking for a month's deferral. This was agreed with the assistant town clerk, Martin Ashley, saying he would make printed copies available for councillors.

Short staffed

But this often brought problems. Because the town clerk, Martin Maggs, is off ill for an indeterminate time, Mr Ashley said the town council office could be occasionally closed and asked everyone to be patient.

Mr Ashley is recovering from a broken leg and often working from home. There is a part time clerical assistant and between them they are trying to cover office opening hours.

There had also been technical issues recently with e-mails and it was not easy for Mr Ashley to get up and down the office stairs on crutches to use the photocopier.

Sympathising, Cllr David Nation said that although he was computer literate, having printed copies of papers was easier and pointed out that not all councillors had 24 hour access to the internet.

The town council had "an administrative crisis", which Cllr Walter Brown described as a "first-class crisis". Cllr Brookes-Hocking commented that with paper copies it was easy to open the envelope just before a meeting and skip through papers, which could lead to bad decisions. It was pointed out that councillors could collect meeting papers from the council office.

Link road

Two government bodies - the Environment Agency and English Heritage - were seen as "blockers" for Crediton ever having a chance of a link road through the valley from the A377 to Lords Meadow; the town was having to take, instead, a hillside route which the majority of townspeople did not want.

Ideally, some town councillors would like the valley route. They were only too well aware of public opposition to the western route for a link road and had previously opted for the hillside route.

Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking said there was "a feeling in the town that the county council had made up its mind." There was no choice other than the western route which must be frustrating for those who live close to it.

She felt this route would not deal with any of the issues it was supposed to address. There was some agreement when Cllr Richard Adams said he understood a new water main was to be laid on the line of the proposed western route, which was leading many people to feel that road was more than a suggestion.

There was approval for Cllr Brookes-Hocking's proposal that English Heritage be invited to talk to the council. The western route would cut across the Saxon path from Downeshead to East Street.

"English Heritage spent a lot of money a few years ago helping us make a huge difference to our High Street and money to try to keep the attractive market square.

"Downeshead is one of the oldest areas in the town, how would it be affected by putting this huge road next to it?" she asked.

Cllr Nick Way, also a district and county councillor, understood people's cynicism but said the town council had an assurance from the county council that nothing would be decided until after the September consultation.

In the meantime more exploratory work was being done on the hillside route and on the western route. He doubted whether an English Heritage representative would come to a town council meeting, but felt it was worth trying to send an invitation.

Cllr Downes said there was a 1969 map in the council chamber of "the proposed bypass that never happened.

"It upsets me that we are now sitting here with a proposal for a link road, plus possible industrial and housing developments, Pedlarspool and a new school and the western route would not serve any of these.

"There is a road that would serve these and go to Lords Meadow but we get a 'half-baked' solution," he said.

"We shall have a road going in the wrong direction to the wrong part of Lords Meadow. There will be a new school and housing and a link road that will not help any of this. In 15 years time, he forecast, we shall be sitting here wondering why there is such a mess," he forecast.

"Everyone wants the valley road we are told we cannot have," he added.

Cllr Way explained that the county council engineers had always said they could built that road, "but that was before the Environment Agency had as much 'clout' as now."

He said there were two reasons now why it could not be done. One was English Heritage, the other was the Environment Agency. "They can build a road through the valley, but is it a sensible use of public money to go to public inquiry and fight English Heritage? We may say it is," said Cllr Way.

Cllr Nation felt the cost of any proposal would be a major aspect and still thought the town needed a bypass. The town could still end up with a road that was feasible but not acceptable.

He said the western route had emerged suddenly because there had been opposition from what he described as "more powerful quarters" to the hillside route. Full information would be available at the September consultation.

He thought the consultation "would be meaningful", the county council executive would make the final decision and "perhaps a public inquiry might be the answer".

Town ideas

Joined up thinking was needed when dealing with significant areas of development for the town said Cllr Brookes-Hocking.

When councillors read her report on the public responses to the town council's plans they would find that some ideas were already compromised.

She pleaded: "Please do read the report in relation to what is coming up and what is proposed for Crediton. Many of the things we have said we would like are going to be engineered out. See if there are other ways of doing things because if we do not, there is going to be no point and this plan might as well go into the bin," she added.

"I would like us to know what we are doing and when we are doing it."

Cllr Downes felt that the town council should be representative of the people of Crediton.

"I think we should have a view of what we would like to see happen and not being led by what we are told we can have, and if you do not agree, you will get nothing," he said. "We are a representative body and a lobbying body with some power."

It was agreed the town council would discuss the plan again at a later date.

Path for park

Mid Devon District Council is to be asked if it would be possible to establish a "modest" footpath linking the central path in Newcombes Meadow with its Church Street access.

As a frequent user of the park, Cllr Downes was "perplexed" that there was no existing path It would be particularly useful for mothers with young children who wanted to walk across the park.

Bus stops

Cllr Way said he understood that new bus stops on either side of Western Road had been accepted by the county council and "will happen".

Other stops, such as Queen Elizabeth Drive and outside Crediton Hospital, were being investigated, but there were visibility problems at the Hospital entrance, especially for a driver going out of town.

He said the problem with the Chiddenbrook bus stop was parked cars during school time in the morning and afternoon; the bus had to double park, causing problems.

Devon County Council had agreed to make that a bus clearway, painting lines to make it "a proper bus stop".

Cllr Way explained that Cllr Adams' idea to create a bus turn around area near the bottom of Queen Elizabeth Drive "would have involved quite a lot of money." Buses were once again using the Chiddenbrook "loop" and that seemed to be working well.

He added that most of the buses turning outside QECC College House had now stopped doing so.

Car parking

A few changes were put forward to the county council's proposed new Traffic Order and waiting restrictions on the High Street.

Councillors wanted to keep the two and a half parking spaces that were to have gone outside LeRoy, saying that limited waiting was "so much needed and should not be taken away."

They accepted a new parking space for drivers with disabilities outside Evans News, wanting the pavement to be rebuilt so that vehicles could be driven in rather than having to reverse into the space.

It was agreed to leave the pavement as it is opposite the Searle Street junction, but parking spaces there now would be lost so that traffic would be able to overtake a bus at the bus stop outside the Old Town Hall.

Parking space would be gained outside Gen Sir Redvers Buller public house by removing the taxi rank and here councillors would like the loading and unloading times to include 8am-2pm on Saturdays because of the pub and Tesco Express shop.

Easier for bikes

and planning

Cllr Downes was supported when he asked if a cycle path could be made along Belle Parade between its junction with Church Street to the Newcombes Meadow access.

Approval was recommended for a planning application to convert Rose Cottage,. Threshers into two dwellings and to build two more after demolition of outbuildings. Town councillors had visited the site.

Approval was also recommended for an extension and porch to be built at 21 Chestnut Close, with alterations to the garage to provide more accommodation.

There were no objections to: two storey and single storey extensions at 2 Barn Park; two storey extension to 2 Beech Park.