Glebe Road residents were hopeful of their removal now that the primary school has moved away, but Peter Scott, from Lincolnshire Highways said that they served a greater purpose.

He was at Brigg Town Council’s planning meeting to respond to concerns from the council and residents at the impact on the locality of Keigar Homes plan for 44 new houses on the old Brigg County Primary School site.

“Traffic calming was introduced because Glebe Road was being used as a rat run to avoid congestion on Barnard Avenue. It was not put in because of the school.”

He accepted the scale of development would generate more traffic, both construction traffic and from the new residents and urged residents to write to make their formal objections to North Lincolnshire Council.

Coun Jenny Bell said a key issue in the controversy had been that traffic calming had taken away residents’ parking outside their own homes.

“At the time you said the measures were there because of the school, now you say it wasn’t so,” said Coun Bell.

Members of the public called instead for a relief road behind the houses and for Keigar Homes to provide some parking for street residents at the site.

Mr Scott did make one consession to the residents present however, saying the design of the traffic calming system may be looked at in the light of the school’s departure and the advent of the new houses.