A CONSULTATION over the development of a key road in Taunton has been dubbed as “concerning” due to a “critical lack of information”.

The scrutiny committee for Somerset County Council met on Tuesday morning to discuss its response to the Highways England consultation on plans to improve the A358.

Issues surrounding the topic include providing traffic relief to Henlade, building the road on farmland and causing problems for people living in nearby housing estates.

Somerset County Council said it had “concerns” Highways England (HE) has only consulted on one option so far, and that many questions have been left unanswered.

Cllr David Hall, cabinet member for resources and economic development, said: “This council has lobbied with other local authorities for the improvements to the A358.

“It is inevitable that some people wont be happy, but we will take all options into account.

“This is not a Somerset County Council consultation, it is Highways England.

“We encourage people to engage with HE.

“We are concerned by the critical lack of information, but that doesn’t mean we scrap it, we have to move it forward.”

Originally, 26 options were considered by Highways England, but they were shifted down to four options, focusing on a central corridor. This then became one option that Highways England chose to consult on.

The option HE has chosen to consult on is option 8/8B + NFS. This option does not link to Junction 25 (J25) to allow for a new-all movements junction 3.5km south of J25. It does not have a direct interchange with the A378.

Option 1/1B + north facing slips (NFS), would see the the road connect to the M5 4km south of J25, heading south east to join up with the A358 half way along its length, passing close to the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Option 2A/2B connects to the M5 2km south of J25 with a south-facing slip only. This route is closer to Henlade than the others with a direct interchange between the proposed road and the A378. This option sees a 1.5km link road running between the new road and the J25.

Option 8/8B + J25 is similar to the second option but takes a more southerly route with no interchange with the A378.

The consultation was halted during the General Election, and a re-commencement date has not yet been set.

Mike O’Dowd-Jones, strategic commissioning manager for highways and transport, said: “It is not possible at this stage in the process to say definitively which the best option is in terms of congestion or local impacts, or what design features would be most beneficial.

“We have concerns about the single option, but consultation is still underway.

“SCC will seek assurances that HE will further consider the matters raised before finalising the preferred route, rather than discounting design solutions at this stage.

“We won’t accept traffic running through inappropriate roads and we need a construction management plan.”

Councillors must now agree their response to the consultation, to be sent on June 22.

The preferred route is expected to be announced by the winter, with a final decision expected in winter 2019.

Construction is expected to start in spring 2020 and end in winter 2022/23.

A HE representative will be attending a meeting at Stoke St Mary Village Hall on Monday, June 19, from 7pm, and at Ruishton Village Hall on Wednesday, June 21, at 7pm.