In fresh hope for local residents, the proposed closure of Goldwire Lane to traffic has been thrown into doubt following a recommendation by a council committee that it shouldn’t be made permanent.

The scheme, introduced by Monmouthshire County Council as part of an Active Travel initiative, aims to reduce through traffic and prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. However, it has generated significant debate among residents, businesses, and local officials.

But a decision by the scrutiny committee said other options, and alternatives should be looked at following the 18 month experimental traffic order that prevented vehicles, other than those needing access, driving through to Drybridge Street.

Described as a “rat run” used by motorists, Goldwire Lane is a narrow, one-way road that connects Somerset Road to Drybridge Street. It is also used by pedestrians and cyclists travelling into town. According to the council, concerns had been raised about safety, particularly for vulnerable users such as those with mobility aids, who struggled with the lane’s uneven surfaces and limited pavement space.

To address these issues, the council introduced an experimental traffic regulation order restricting vehicle access. Under this scheme, the lane is effectively closed to through traffic, allowing only residents, deliveries, and emergency services to use it.

Supporters of the closure argue that it represents a necessary step toward sustainable transport, but opposition to the closure has been strong. Councillors were told a consultation found that a large majority of respondents opposed making the closure permanent, with 222 out of 241 participants rejecting the idea.

There had also been 334 signatures on two petitions opposed to the restriction which results in drivers having to make a detour of just over a quarter of a mile to reach a main road.

The recent flooding on Wonastow Road also showed an alternative access to town is necessary, given that there is no access to the second bridge through the Albion.

The scrutiny committee spent more than 90 minutes debating whether or not it should recommend the council cabinet should make the order permanent.

Debrah Hill-Howells, the council’s transport director, said every point made during the consultation had been answered by officers and said: “We do not consider a 0.3 mile detour is too great a burden for car drivers to travel to access a main road they were going to access anyway.”

Councillor Catrin Maby, the cabinet member responsible and Labour member for the town’s Drybridge ward, said elderly residents feared walking, or using mobility scooters, on the narrow one-way part of the lane as there is little room between them and passing vehicles.

She said it protects pedestrians or those on scooters or bikes, those crossing at its junction with Drybridge Street and reduces the number of vehicles emerging from the lane she described as “very close to a roundabout and with poor visibility.”

Cllr Maby said most of the comments received during the consultation were concerns drivers wouldn’t be able to use the lane if the Somerset Road route is blocked by flooding, but said the council has confirmed the restriction wouldn’t apply in such emergencies.

Most of the other comments, said Cllr Maby, were calls for the lane to be made a shared space between pedestrians and vehicles but she, and the council’s highways officer, said it is too narrow for adjustments such as bollards.

Conservative Martin Newell, whose Town ward includes Goldwire Lane, said along with residents’ objections Monmouth Town Council opposed making the order permanent.

He suggested further options, including what he called a “safer”, alternative route alongside the Riverside Hotel and which comes out on Cinderhill Street, should be considered before making the order permanent. Cllr Maby said that was considered and the path is privately owned.

Cllr Newell said: “There has to be a way we can work through things and keep the road open and make sure it safe for everyone.”

The committee also heard a video submitted by Justine Johnson who described herself as a campaigner against the restriction and had organised the petitions signed by 334 people.

She said: “Goldwire Lane is a main road out and has been a main road for 300 years and don’t pedestrians also have to take some care?”

The committee was tied with four votes in favour of recommending the order be made permanent and four against doing so and considering other options.

The recommendation against making the order will be put forward to the council’s Labour and Green Party cabinet, which must take the decision, on the casting vote of the scrutiny committee chair, Conservative member for Osbaston Jane Lucas.