HALSTEAD does need a bypass, highways chiefs have admitted in a U-turn.

Plans for a long-awaited bypass along the A131 were taken out of Braintree Council’s draft Local Plan after Essex County Council said it was unlikely it would be built before 2033. Residents grew impatient, saying it was vital for the town centre.

At a Local Plan meeting on Tuesday, the bypass is due to be reinserted after County Hall reconsidered.

Halstead councillor Jackie Pell has been fighting to get the bypass back on the cards for years.

She said: “I’m pleased to hear the council now wants it back in, this is one of the biggest things Halstead people are talking about and it will improve infrastructure.

“It’s good news but we just need to make sure nobody’s houses get knocked down. Still, at long last someone is listening to us.”

Essex County Council has requested it should be considered as a longer term proposal supporting the A131, which runs from Chelmsford to Sudbury.

A report for the local plan sub-committee meeting said: “Whilst the scheme has not come forward in the intervening time, it remains a priority for the county council and it is likely that growth on the corridor from north Chelmsford, Braintree and at Sudbury will result in a need to commence development work on the scheme during the plan period.”

The New Anglia Local Transport Body has already agreed funding to develop the business case for a Sudbury Western Bypass.

Planning officers said this would have a significant impact on traffic in Halstead and that action needed to be taken.

Michelle Till, who lives in Trinity Street, said it was very much needed.

She said: “The bypass is a big fat yes, the traffic is just a joke through the town centre.

“More people may actually stop if the lorries were kept off the road.

“All they are doing is causing havoc, it’s ridiculous.

“We need that bypass, it will help everybody.”

The Halstead bypass scheme was first developed in the 1990s.

If approved the line will remain on the inset map for Halstead, but will need to be adjusted as it runs through some wildlife sites.

Commenting on the current state of the A131, planning officers said: “The road at present is a single carriageway with a major pinch-point at the two mini roundabout junctions of the A131 at Head Street and the A1124 at Hedingham Road.

“The junction currently operates at capacity, and will be further exacerbated in the plan period.”

The Local Plan sets out how the district should take shape until 2033.

It includes road upgrades which should be included to accommodate the 845 homes a year planned for the district.