THE potential closure of a road that connects Prestonpans and Tranent has been described as “a matter of life and death” at a community group’s meeting.

Johnnie Cope’s Road starts at its north side at the junction with Gardiner Terrace, near Prestonpans Railway Station. It then crosses the A1 by bridge and joins Brickworks Road in Tranent to the south.

The road was originally due to have been closed as a through route when the A1 Tranent bypass opened in 1986, but kept open for walkers and cyclists.

However, the closure was not legally effective as the then highways authority – Lothian Regional Council – never made the necessary TROs (traffic regulation order) needed to authorise it.

East Lothian Council discovered this and put forward plans to its cabinet to close the road in 2020, but this was then halted by Covid-19.

The newly elected cabinet has since decided to press ahead with a new TRO, which will be presented to statutory stakeholders before Christmas and opened to public consultation in the New Year.

Access concerns

Councillor Brooke Ritchie, Preston Seton Gosford ward member, spoke at a meeting of Prestonpans Community Council and reassured residents that they “will always have access” and that the “closure will be after the [Bankton] cottages”, while also confirming that emergency vehicles would still have access after the closure.

However, a resident replied “there will be many times we won’t have access”, citing the recent heavy rain that caused flooding that restricted access at the north side, meaning there would be no access if the south side were to close permanently in the future.

Residents at the meeting still had grave concerns about the closure of the road.

One said: “It feels like this decision has been made without any consultation.

“The road eases congestion. If you close it, you will make it worse and five minutes becomes 20 or 30 minutes.”

Another of the residents asked whether a fire engine with an appropriate ladder would be able to fit under the bridge at the northern side of the road.

He added: “[What if] we are trapped in a burning building at the top and die?

“These are massive issues for us that live there, it’s a matter of life and death.”

'Cost-cutting' fear

Community councillor Ferhan Ashiq told the meeting that he “feared this is a cost-cutting exercise” to reduce maintenance on the road, which is adopted by East Lothian Council.

Councillor Lachlan Bruce, Preston Seton Gosford ward member, stressed to residents that no decision about the road had yet been taken and urged members of the public to take part in the consultation in the New Year.

He said: “No decision on the future of the Johnnie Cope’s has been taken and I won’t be happy for any decision to be taken without the full involvement of those affected by the decision, particularly those that live on the road.”

An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “The formal consultation stage of a TRO will be open for all to comment on.

“The proposed scheme will be advertised in the local press, uploaded to the Tell Me Scotland website and people can also contact East Lothian Council directly to provide comments on the proposed TRO.

“All comments will be duly considered before a TRO can be made operational and the scheme implemented on site.”