§ 29. Mr. Wilson Harrisasked the Minister of Transport whether it was by his authority that the Great North Road, at Stevenage, was closed to traffic on 24th September; and whether he will take steps 595 to prevent transit on the trunk roads of the country being interrupted by local festivities.
§ Mr. BarnesI am informed that under a charter granted in the Seventeenth Century the local council at Stevenage has the right to hold an annual fair in the middle of the town on a site which includes part of the Great North Road. The fair was held this year on 24th September, and for that purpose the Stevenage Urban District Council caused the road to be closed under the provisions of Section 21 of the Town Police Clauses Act, 1847. Notice of the intention to close the road was not given to me as highway authority of the trunk road; but travellers were warned of the diversion by means of notices posted at suitable sites along the road. It appears doubtful whether I have any power to prevent the closure of the road in the circumstances stated, but I will certainly pursue the matter with a view to minimising the inconvenience to traffic caused by these ancient rights and privileges.
§ Mr. HarrisI appreciate the conservatism which leads the right hon. Gentleman to issue instructions, but does he really mean that this trunk highway may be closed on 24th September every year; and will he consult with his right hon. Friend the Minister of Town and Country Planning with a view to moving the township a mile or two to the East or the West?
§ Mr. BarnesWe certainly appear to want a liberal interpretation of this character. I have stated the facts to the hon. Gentleman, and the future will lead to further examination.