THE Inspector's report on the local plan, published last week, has cast a deep shadow over the current proposals for a link road from Heysham to the M6. We have long argued that action is urgently needed to improve access to Heysham Port, to reduce traffic congestion in central Lancaster, and to boost the vitality of the local economy. An effective new road will improve the prospects for new industrial and commercial investment in the district - and this in turn will create new employment opportunities for local people.

The case for having a new road had only just been accepted by Lancashire County Council as top priority for the County, so the blow to the morale of campaigners for a road has been all the more severe. Nevertheless, now is not the time to sit back and cry over spilt milk. The Conservative Group on Lancaster City Council argues that the circumstances are materially different from those applying when the Inspector was preparing his report. The likelihood of some road being built within the next ten years had become significantly higher as a result of the County Council's recent decision than the Inspector had been anticipating.

Representations on this basis should now be made urgently to John Prescott as Secretary of State to overrule the Inspector's findings in respect of alternative routes for the new road. To do anything less would be irresponsible, and if our representatives do not take action on our behalf to recover the initiative for a road, they will have done a lasting disservice to the needs of the local community.

Cllr Roger Mace

Conservative Group

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