Mendip District Council is consulting the public on its plans to continue the road closure at Berkley Lane, to the east of Gypsy Lane just outside Frome, in order to tackle flytipping – and needs your support for the closure to continue.

Road closure in red – (click on map to enlarge)

A Cabinet meeting on 12th February will consider continuing to restrict vehicle traffic along Berkley Lane from the north side of the Pines Residential Site to its junction with Dark Lane for three years through a second Public Space Protection Order (PSPO). Cabinet will also consider the best option to maintain the road restrictions, including barriers, gates, bollards, ramps or retaining the concrete barriers as they are.  Access would be maintained for pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and other specific exemptions.

Please see here for the press release and here for the draft PSPO.

Keeping the road closed seems to be essential as it makes it more difficult to flytip with impunity, and has led to a big reduction in flytipping, although more needs to be done in other ways. But objections could stop it continuing.  So please write to Mendip to show their support for the continued road closure, and to express your preference for how the closure should continue. Please also add your thoughts on what more needs to be done to keep the area clean. Please email neighbourhoodservices@mendip.gov.uk or write to the Enforcement Officer, Mendip District Council, Neighbourhood Services, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5BT. The deadline for responses is 10th February 2018. Residents living nearby should have also had a letter through the door from Mendip DC.

In November, Mendip’s Cabinet decided to put a PSPO in place for 3 months using a concrete barrier (see here). The road had been closed with a barrier in place under different rules since April 2016 (see here).  In 2014 I organised a public meeting with Mendip officers, the Police and other councillors, which helped get Mendip to address the issue (see here).

To contact the council to report fly-tipping please call 0300 303 8588 or report directly online – Fly Tipping.