MP to hear concerns

VILLAGERS have reached the most critical stage yet in their long-running campaign for a bypass.

Residents of Thormanby, near Easingwold, will hold talks with their local MP and councillor tomorrow in an attempt to persuade County Hall transport chiefs to apply for Government cash which could allow the scheme to go ahead.

The A19 road through the village has been dubbed Death Hill by residents, who have seen four fatalities and countless near-misses during the past few years.

Local people are determined to see the road rerouted away from the village - and are hoping to make a strong impression at a parish council meeting when they will discuss the matter with Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh and county councillor Peter Sowray.

The decision as to whether Thormanby will get its £2.1m bypass rests with the county council, which has until July to consider whether it should bid for funding for the scheme through its Local Transport Plan.

A plan for a bypass for the village was scrapped last year, making residents more determined to ensure they gain approval this time round.

Parish council chairman Barry Dodd said: "If it was worthy of consideration last year, why shouldn't it be worthy this year?

"We need to try to get a commitment that a bypass will be put forward in this year's scheme. Nothing has changed since last year so we want a guarantee that it will go in this year's plan."

Miss McIntosh, a staunch supporter of the bypass campaign, said the county council had approved the A165 Reighton and the A61 Killinghall bypasses last year, making it crucial to keep Thormanby in the public eye.

"I place a high priority on securing a bypass for Thormanby," she said.

"I shall be delighted to hear at first-hand the concerns of those living in Thormanby and I will take their views directly to the relevant authorities."