LET’S have a huge round of applause for the proactive and innovative plans made by each level of our representative bodies for the impending traffic chaos expected by Lidl opening.

Apparently trivial matters such as sensible traffic management do not fall within the remit of our locally elected councillors, nor it would seem of those at Braintree.

Relevant enquiries have instead been sent towards the Essex Highways department. They have informed me such decisions have been, or will be, made by a consultant company based in Colchester.

Surely common sense dictates that Factory Lane West should be made one-way towards Parsonage Street.

This would complement the Kings Road layout and some restriction must be put in place to prevent the Causeway from becoming a rat run to the High Street.

The current daily traffic using the doctor’s surgery opposite Lidl will only exasperate such issues.

These occur because there are no parking restrictions imposed for that existing short length of roadway outside the Town Park between Kings Road and New Street.

To allow casual parking on such a busy through route defies belief.

The morning and evening volume of traffic each way through Halstead using this A131 route seems to increase daily.

One wonders just how bad this will become with the additional shoppers and the proposed housing estate planned for Oak Road.

All of this is a little bit late for the grand opening of Lidl.

Personally I welcome the arrival of Lidl as competition is good for business and in the long term hopefully for Halstead.

But let’s have a little more proactive action from our elected representatives.