'˜Lack of dialogue' over town's one-way system

The temporary scheme runs from the bottom of Queen Street, along Coquet Street and Leazes Street, ending at Newburgh Street. It was introduced in December 2014 to see if it would ease traffic congestion along the harbour area.

The order expired in December 2015, but it was agreed to extend it on a temporary basis until mid-March this year, while the county council consulted on whether or not to make it permanent. But now, the temporary order has been extended by the county council until June 15 and the results of the consultation have still not been revealed. At Thursday’s Amble Town Council, there were concerns about the county council’s lack of dialogue in recent months about the scheme. Clerk Elaine Brown said she had not been aware that the temporary order was being extended. Amble Mayor Craig Weir said: “We were having regular meetings with the county council about this, but the last one was in November. It’s a long time not to have a meeting or communication.”

Coun Robert Arckless vowed to raise the concerns, but said there had been reasons for a lack of dialogue from County Hall, including an officer’s personal circumstances.

A county council spokesman said: “The trial period has been further extended to accommodate legislative changes that will be implemented in April. Feedback has been generally positive and when the temporary order concludes in June we expect to introduce a permanent traffic regulation order to make the system permanent.”

A meeting was held yesterday afternoon between the county council, town council and other town groups.