Councillors to write to minister to demand meeting over bypass

COUNCILLORS will again write to Transport Minister Carl Sargeant asking that he meets with them over the need for a bypass for Llandeilo.

A report on the increasing levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Llandeilo town went before the Environment Scrutiny Committee.

Following a detailed assessment carried out by the council at the beginning of 2010, it has now been necessary to designate an Air Quality Management Area within the town.

The committee was told that the next step was to set up a Steering Group of all relevant stakeholders and develop an Action Plan with the aim of reducing nitrogen dioxide levels within the Air Quality Management Area and improving air quality in Llandeilo.

However, councillors agreed that a bypass for the town was now a matter of urgency as it is the only possible solution to the problem.

They will now write to the Transport Minister Carl Sargeant again asking that he meets with the council to discuss when Llandeilo will get its long-awaited and much-needed bypass.

Cllr Huw Morgan, local member for Llangadog, said: “The air quality in Llandeilo is not going to go away, we need a bypass, only then will we move forward.”

Cllr David Jenkins, representing Glanamman, said: “There has been talk of a bypass for I don’t know how many years, is there anything we can do in the short-term such as re-directing light vehicles to try and reduce the impact of the nitrogen dioxide problem?”

Cllr Arthur Davies, of Carmarthen town west, added: “The situation is ridiculous; it has been going on so long now. We need all the stakeholders and the Minister down here to talk to this committee to explain what is the delay and how to progress it.”

Cllr Tom Theophilus, local member for Cilycwm, said: “We will have the pollution until we get a bypass, I just hope we can get agreement on the route. The money was made available back in the 80s but we couldn’t get agreement and we lost the money, it went to Whitland instead. I just hope people have learned their lesson and it won’t happen second time round.”

The council’s public health services manager David Evans explained that Public Health Wales might be in a position to facilitate or carry out a study on the impact on the health of local people by looking at for example GP referrals, and this could provide important supporting evidence.

However, he added: “There is no imminent risk to health but we do have to do something to reduce the nitrogen dioxide levels.”