Northumberland County Council will reconsider closing Cramlington slip road as part of Blyth Relief Road project

Northumberland County Council had suggested the possible closure of the slip road onto the A189 northbound at Cramlington in order to aid construction of the Blyth Relief Road.

Cllr Wayne Daley, who represents the Cramlington North ward, claimed residents of the town were not consulted and warned the closure would have a “massive impact” on Cramlington’s already congested roads.

After Cllr Daley raised concerns, the council has agreed to look at the plans again.

Furthermore, two consultation events on the proposal will now be held in Cramlington itself. Cllr Daley was pleased with the move and urged residents to have their say.

He said: “The council have a pause on some of the language on closing it. I have to believe that they are genuine when they are now ready to listen to what the residents of Cramlington have to say.

“I will take them at their word, but the overwhelming support I have had from residents is that the decision to close this road will have a monumental impact on people. I am not prepared to accept it.

“My honest view is that if people do not want this to happen, they have got to turn up and make their views known because silence is akin to permission.

"I need as many people as possible to get along, make their views known and make them reconsider.

“There are engineering solutions that can be put in place, but closing it is not a solution and it is not an option.”

Cllr Daley has previously expressed support for the Blyth Relief Road Project, which aims to reduce congestion in Blyth, but was clear it must not come at the expense of Cramlington.

The consultations are being held from 3pm to 5pm on Tuesday at the Church of the Nazarene and from 5pm to 7.30pm on Thursday at The Hub in Manor Walks Shopping Centre.

A Northumberland County Council spokesperson said: “We are continuing to monitor the feedback received both face to face during the consultation events and through the written responses received.

"A number of common themes and issues are emerging from the consultation process, including the proposed slip road closure.

“Following the completion of the consultation process, the project team will look at the responses in detail.

"As part of this, the closure of the slip road will be reconsidered and the conclusions of further studies will be published as soon as possible and prior to a planning application.”

The online consultation, which can be found here, runs until Monday, December 11.