RESIDENTS living near the Old Wye Bridge in Chepstow want to see the crossing permanently closed to vehicles, a local councillor has said.

Such is the volume of correspondence on the issue that Monmouthshire county councillor Peter Farley has received that he is planning to hold a public meeting to air views.

The idea of a permanent traffic ban gained traction during the seven-month closure for crucial maintenance on the bridge which is 200-years-old this year.

The re-opening of the bridge was delayed by four months because of the extent of the work that was required.

It proved controversial as there were traffic problems on the A48 in Gloucestershire and Sedbury during that time with queues regularly stretching back three miles.

There does not appear to have been a repetition of the problems since the bridge re-opened.

Cllr Farley (Lab, St Mary’s) told the county council’s Lower Wye area committee letters and e-mails he had received were split evenly between those in support of a permanent closure to vehicles and those against.

He said: “I’ve had more correspondence over this single issue than any other.

“People don’t seem to care about changes to services or helping us to work out budgets but there has been a considerable volume of traffic around it which divided pretty evenly between those who say what a wonderful opportunity to make the lower part of Chepstow tranquil and traffic-free to those who say we can understand people talking about recent benefits but it would be better if it could remain open and other things looked at.

“I am personally agnostic and I’m not proposing any changes.

“Somebody, I don’t know who, has put flyers out on lamp-posts saying its wonderful the bridge is closed and if (people) want to keep it closed contact your county councillor which I thought was interesting and was done without my knowledge.

“It deserves a response so I’m organising a meeting for residents on (Wednesday) February 10.

“I’m inviting people to come to air their concerns, highways will be there to provide some technical advice.

“It will be a discussion meeting and we will try to take the temperature.

“If people want to go as far as petitions and that sort of thing that’s up to them.

“The compounding factor is that there are as many people on the other side (of the Wye) who are interested in the bridge and I’ve no idea what their thoughts are but my suspicions are they are not so inclined to see a closure because it is their access to Chepstow.”

He said that in answers to correspondence he had said there are no plans to close the bridge.”

The committee also heard that the future of the bridge could depend on it remaining open to light traffic.

In an e-mail, bridge and tides expert John Burrows said: “We learned on a visit to the bridge that its future, even as a pedestrian bridge, would be in danger if it did not retain its licence for vehicles up to 7.5 tons.

“Apparently the bridge cannot be maintained without the ability to put vehicles and scaffolding on the bridge.”

Mr Burrows has produced a guide to the history of the bridge which was funded by Chepstow Town Council and is available free-of-charge.

A number of events are planned for the summer to mark the opening of the bridge in 1816.

The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 10 at the Drill Hall in Lower Church Street, starting at 6pm.

A spokesman for Monmouthshire County Coun­cil said: “On a recent site visit it was stated that if the structure was allowed to deteriorate and the weight limit was consequently lowered it would become difficult to undertake future maintenance.

“The essential works recently undertaken will allow maintenance of the bridge under its current use and ensure the long-term stability of the structure.

“There are no plans currently to close the bridge to vehicular traffic. If proposals are made along these lines appropriate investigations and consultation would be undertaken.”