SOMERSET County Council has come under fire from angry residents in Dunster as historic cobbles in West Street have been replaced by stone slabs.

Machine-cut slabs of local Blue Lias stone was chosen by SCC to pave West Street in an attempt to make it safer for pedestrians and to create wheelchair access.

The stone differs from the Brecon Grey stone imported from China that was used to replace cobbles in the High Street in 2011.
At a Parish Council meeting on Monday, residents complained that the colour and the cut of the stone were not in style with the rest of the village and that they were under the impression that it would look the same as the High Street.

At the meeting, one woman said that she was “utterly depressed” by the blue-grey slabs and that “West Street is a poor relation to the High Street.”

Another member of the public said that the slabs looked like concrete.

Richard Needs, Service Manager Engineering Design at SCC, who was at the meeting, said: “The council has a policy to source local materials and this material is strong enough to withstand the weight of a car if people were to park on it.”

Karin Harwood from SCC Highways pointed that another option was to “keep the cobbles and remove parking in Dunster all together”.

The parish council approved the use of the Blue Lias stone at a meeting in December 2014.

Cllr Graham Lamacraft put the problem down to “a complete lack of communication” from SCC about the type of material being used.

He said: “If we had been advised about the type of material which was going to be used we would not have agreed for it to go ahead.

“The parish council are now in limbo until SCC decide if it is going to do anything.”

Arthur Ell, who has lived in West Street for the past 70 years, said: “I’ve been maintaining the cobbles outside my house for years.

“The colour of the slabs aren’t at all what you see in Dunster.

“Look around you, it’s all reds and browns, not grey. They’re too urban.”

Dunster resident Chris Jelley who was also at the meeting said: “The feelings of the villagers were noted and then pushed aside.

“I see the cobbles being taken away, no matter what, as heart wrenching.

“I was really looking forward to the new pavement but wasn’t expecting it to look so urban which is the real issue here.”

Mr Needs said that they were looking into the possibility of aging the stone with a mixture of “manure and yoghurt”, but that he could not promise anything.  

West Somerset and Bridgwater MP Ian Liddel-Grainger has dubbed the situation an “absolute disaster”.

He said: “This is the most beautiful Medieval village and we are about to ruin it.”

SCC has invested £400,000 into the improvements scheme and said that delaying prolong the time until the work is finished. 

Since the meeting, Cllr Harvey Siggs, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “The scheme to replace some of the cobbles in West Street is in response to local concerns over safety and accessibility.

"We have listened to all the recent comments, and accept that it will not be to everyone’s liking, but considering that only four years ago the High Street was similarly condemned as vandalism, we ask for patience.

"The materials being used are locally-sourced and approved by Conservation Officers in liaison with the Exmoor National Park Authority.

"Our officers are already looking at the possibility of hand cut kerbing and there are processes available to speed up the ageing."

 

Last updated 15:42