THERE can be few towns the size of Halstead where the main road runs right through the centre and up the High Street.

The case for an A131 bypass has been made for more than a generation.

Indeed, anyone spending any time trying to get in, out or through Halstead will see the benefits first hand.

But last year, highways bosses at Essex County Council recommended the upgrade should not be included in Braintree Council’s Local Plan, which sets out what houses and other development should be built in the area up to 2033.

One of the reasons was that the majority of houses planned for the district over the coming years are not in or around Halstead.

Fortunately, common sense has prevailed.

County Hall has admitted the town centre roads are “already at capacity”, and the congestion is only likely to be exacerbated when a bypass around Sudbury gets the go-ahead.

A bypass for Halstead is long-overdue and should not be dependent on more houses being built.

Fortunately, the evidence presented to officers at Braintree Council means that a series of proposed developments, including sites off Sudbury Road, Cherry Tree Close and Tidings Hill are unlikely to find favour.

The latter even offered a sweetener of building part of a bypass.

Even if no more houses and flats were built in the town, the case for a relief road is overwhelming.