REPRESENTATIVES from Highways England (HE) are attending meetings across Taunton Deane to discuss its controversial consultation on the A358 development.

A meeting took place in Stoke St Mary on Monday (June 19) night at the village hall where a heated discussion took place when around 100 residents gathered to hear the plans, in the hope some of their questions might be answered.

David Stock, the project manger from HE, took the audience through the “preferred option”, one that would require a new “all-movements” junction 3.5km south of Junction 25 on the M5.

Originally, there were 26 options for the scheme, whittled down to four, then one, with some residents stating this then takes away the ‘option’ part of the route, as there has only been a consultation on one plan.

Somerset County Council has also expressed concerns there is only one route on the table.

The redevelopment comes alongside two other consultations to form a better corridor to and from the South West. Residents pointed out at the meeting that the other two consultations come equipped with two options.

Discussions were heated as most questions led to the same answer - that residents should submit a response on the consultation.

Chris Setters, design team leader for HE, said: “You are all being involved in the design of the road but it is in the very early stage of the process.

“We need to take into account local perspective but flooding and where the junctions go are engineering decisions.

“Consider yourselves part of the design team. We cannot please and satisfy everyone.”

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Concerns whether the consultation period should have been called at the time it was were also voiced by the parish council.

According to Government rules, a consultation should not be called during an election. The ‘perdah’ period for the Somerset County Council elections began on May 20, and the consultation started on May 28.

Speaking after the meeting, Mike Farrell, of Stoke St Mary Parish Council, said: “Yet again, Highways England Ltd produce an A358 presentation which makes no sense to anyone.

“HE find it impossible to answer a direct question with a direct answer.

“The consultation is flawed, its plan for a Taunton bypass is ill-conceived and it continues to flout its own rules of consultation.

“HE has claimed ‘transparency’ throughout this shambles of a consultation.

“How is ‘transparency’ translated? - redacted documents, a minimum 20-day delay on any questions asked or, as a gentleman at the meeting said, ‘four weeks, three questions, still no answers’.

“All the information we have gathered is being obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests.

“That is not transparency.”

A presentation by the parish council stated the main concerns of the village were for the wider Taunton area, including traffic concerns at Henlade and access to the proposed Nexus employment site.

A spokesman for the Stoke St Mary campaign group Garden Town Not Bypass Town said: “We are very pleased with the turnout last night despite the very hot temperatures, and it shows the strength of feeling in the village and the surrounding area.

“We appreciate HE coming along to present the proposal and explain the process, however there is still a lot of frustration among villagers, councillors and campaigners that there is still no clear answer on why they have dropped the other route options, and what the implications of them dropping this are.”

The consultation date has been extended to run until July 16.

To have your say visit stokestmary.info or highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/he/a358-taunton-to-southfields.

Click here for more information on the Garden Town Not Bypass Town campaign group.