Bath Council have conceded defeat in their plan to close the A36 to HGV traffic in the city following an appeal by Wiltshire and others to the government.
In a statement they say:
"The Department for Transport (DfT) have upheld the appeal against Bath & North East Somerset Council's plans to introduce an experimental HGV weight restriction on the A36 at Beckford Road.
The DfT have requested that the Council explore other diversionary routes for HGV's effected by the proposed restriction. We will be inviting representatives from the Highways Agency, Somerset County Council, Wiltshire Council, and the Government to work constructively alongside us to address the concerns of our local residents about Heavy Goods Vehicles travelling through Bath, particularly along A4 London Road and A36 Bathwick Street.
Our proposed experimental restriction would reduce the contribution made by HGVs to poor air quality, road safety issues and intimidation experienced by vulnerable road users within the Bath World Heritage Site. The Council is determined to do everything in its power to address these problems."
Local councillor Trevor Carbin, whose Holt and Staverton division would have been badly affected by the proposed ban, said, "This is good news for Wiltshire residents. Whilst Bath has a problem they were well out of order in trying to solve it unilaterally. The requirement imposed by the government for the various authorities to work together to find solutions that help lorries to get to their destinations whilst minimising the problems they cause on residential roads is obviously the sensible way forward."
Wiltshire Council has yet to respond to the decision.