The Shepton Mallet Neighbourhood Plan team have weighed in on Somerset Council's recent 'Creating Places for People' consultation, expressing concerns over the proposed restrictions on car use in the town.

The steering group has outlined its thoughts on road improvements and local transport that should be prioritised before any restrictions are put in place.

The steering group was largely supportive of the council's vision but added several caveats. "Improvements in roads, local transport, and walkways need to lead, not follow, restrictions on motor vehicles," said a representative from the team.

The neighbourhood plan team criticised the current state of Shepton Mallet's road infrastructure, emphasising its importance, especially on several central roads in the town.

The group argued that walkways and cycle routes would be "problematic if not impossible without better roads and public transport."

Shepton Mallet's residents, including "single mums with children," would continue to rely on cars, the team said, unless longer-term changes were implemented in the town's transport and social infrastructure.

The group also touched on the area's lack of public transport and steep roads, which make alternative means of travel challenging.

"Without the necessary investment in safe roads, sustainable local transport, and green routes, these principles will not be deliverable, and we cannot currently see sufficient funding being available at county level," said the team.

The steering group also questioned the "blunt 'social engineering' route of reducing parking spaces," as it would only contribute to parking congestion. They suggested that this approach could be counterproductive unless there's sustained investment in local transport and safer routes for both pedestrians and cyclists.

Another point raised was the 'visual clutter' on Shepton Mallet streets, specifically mentioning the abundance of "black wheely bins, brown food and garden bins, blue bags, and green recycling bins."

Finally, the team was disappointed with the council's public consultation survey, describing it as "essentially just a single page of tick boxes with only 500 characters allowed for comment."

They called for a more detailed consultation process in the future, particularly for towns with either established or emerging neighbourhood plans.