NELC'S FINANCIAL NIGHTMARE OVER TOLLBAR ROUNDABOUT FIASCO

                                    

Escalating cost of Tollbar roundabout furore 

NORTH East Lincolnshire Council faces near-crippling penalties  if it seeks to block the controversial traffic lights scheme for the Waltham Tollbar roundabout.

A Norwich-based firm - Monmouth Properties - has secured planning permission to build up to 400 homes on adjacent farmland.

Although its application was refused by members of the borough planning committee, the decision was overturned by planning inspector Jonathan Price.

As his decision letter makes plain, he imposed a crucial condition - that "no dwelling shall be occupied until signal controlled junction works to the Toll Bar roundabout have been completed and are operational". 

Legally, the council is thus obliged to ensure that the traffic lights are installed.

Their only get-out would be to seek to pay off the developer.

But, even if agreed by Monmouth, compensation would run into millions of pounds - money that the cash-strapped authority cannot afford.

New council leader Cllr Philip Jackson has reportedly put a block on the traffic lights scheme pending a review.

But delaying the project has already cost the council many thousands of pounds - a further hold-up could ramp up the bill even higher.

The situation has been a seemingly never-ending nightmare for NELC's chief executive, Rob Walsh, himself a qualified lawyer. 

It seems likely that it was his advice that persuaded the previous Labour administration to proceed with installation of the lights in the face of massive borough-wide opposition.

Earlier this year, events surrounding the controversy led to the resignation of the then leader of the council, Ray Oxby, who had been the target of personal abuse.

And in last week's local elections, Labour's surprise defeat - and forfeiture of political control of the council - was attributed to the Tollbar debacle.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the council had to pay Monmouth Properties' appeal costs, as well as its own, after its planning committee refused the initial application. 

The figures have not been divulged, but NELC is unlikely to have seen much change out of £100,000.

The appeal inspector was unimpressed that councillors had rejected the advice of their own planning expert, Rachel Gennery, who came down in favour of lights after talks with the developer's traffic consultants.

In her report, Ms Gennery expressed confidence that the new traffic arrangements would ensure "congestion is reduced and safety increased"

She stated: "Discussions have been ongoing for many months to secure improvements so that the traffic from the proposed scheme does not have a severe residual impact on the highway network."

Having served as chairman of the council's planning committee for many years, Coun Jackson is experienced on planning controversies and the legal issues they can throw up.

But, just like Brexit, it is hard to see a solution that  will suit all parties - unless, by some miracle, he can conjure a white rabbit out of the hat.