Councillors back plan to introduce traffic control measures at Assaye Place

by Peter Urpeth

Local Democracy Reporter

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has moved to bring to a resolution to the long-running issue of the introduction of new traffic control measures at Stornoway’s Assaye Place.

At last week’s meeting of the authorty’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee councillors backed a proposal to try and resolve outstanding objections to a proposed  ‘Experimental Prohibition of Entry Order’ that would stop drivers from entering Assaye Place from Willowglen Road.

A report before the meeting said that the Order was being progressed  “on the basis of renewed concerns from residents and observations from the Comhairle’s Road Safety Officer and Police Scotland’.

A number of objections to the order were however received during the Comhairle’s consultation process but councillors have now agreed to a process to implement the order if these cannot be resolved locally.

Under the plan, if the objections cannot be resolved locally, the matter will then be referred by the Comhairle to the Scottish Government under the terms of the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 1999, and if the Independent Reporter recommends proceeding with the Order Comhairle officers are now authorised to implement the Order without referral back to the committee.

Details of the objections were included in the report that went to the Transport and Infrastructure Committee meeting but details of the objectors were not included in the report.

A number of committee members voiced frustration at continued delays to the implementation of the Order, and there were calls for the identities of the objectors to be made known to councillors, with ward councillor Gordon Murray saying that he doubted if any residents of Assaye Place would object to the Order.