26th September 2005

Councillor Peter Burden,
North Somerset Council
Town Hall,
Walliscote Road
Weston-super-Mare
Somerset  BS23 1UJ

I’m writing because I’m told that you will receive a question from some of your fellow Councillors at the meeting tomorrow, asking you to create a weight restriction for long-distance Heavy Goods Vehicles east of Churchill lights towards Burrington Coombe. I would urge you strongly to commit the Council to this course of action.

As you and I have discussed in the past, a restriction of this kind would help to reduce HGV traffic heading towards Burrington Coombe on the A368 through Banwell, Sandford and Churchill, and on Stock Lane through Congresbury and Langford. I appreciate a weight restriction isn’t a complete solution to the traffic problems in these villages, but since there were no explicit commitments to other potential solutions (such as a relief road between J21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport) in last week’s Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study, it seems that we’re facing a long and difficult campaign to convince the Government’s various departments to take the problem seriously.

As a result, unless we take action locally, there’s little immediate prospect of improving the lives of people living in these rural villages. These traffic problems have been getting steadily worse for years, and local residents have been waiting long enough: it’s time for action. I urge you to commit North Somerset to a long-distance HGV restriction in tomorrow’s meeting of North Somerset Council.

Yours sincerely

John Penrose
MP for Weston-super-Mare

Cc: Councillors Harley, Lake, Leimdorfer, Parsons, Wells.
Parish Council Chairmen of Banwell, Blagdon, Churchill & Langford, Congresbury, Winscombe & Sandford.
Trevor Smallwood (TMTV)
Stephen Edwards (CPRE)