A SCHOOL road which was closed temporarily during Covid to give people more space will remain shut, after plans to make the closure permanent received only two objections.

Countess Crescent in Dunbar was shut at one end as part of East Lothian Council’s Spaces for People work during the pandemic.

The move proved such a hit with Dunbar Primary School – which is next to the closed section of the road – and local residents that officers moved to make the road closure permanent.

A report lodged in the council’s members library this week revealed that only two objections had been lodged to the proposed traffic regulation order needed to make the change, and one from the town's community council had been dealt with.

The report said: “After correspondence, the community council agreed we had addressed their points, but maintained support for the remaining objector, who is concerned about the impact of the restrictions on the operation of the adjacent business.”

It revealed that as well as the two objections, five letters supporting the permanent closure had also been received and the council had held public consultations on the proposals before going ahead.

READ MORE: Consultation into plans to close road outside Dunbar Primary School

Tackling the objections, officers said one concern raised was that, since Covid restrictions were no longer in place, the reason for restricted access no longer existed.

They responded: “While some restrictions were put in place to ensure sufficient space for parents congregating at the school gate during the pandemic, anecdotal evidence suggested that parents have welcomed the reduction of car traffic in the vicinity of the school, and this is supported by the majority of responses to the consultation.”

And when challenged that there was no evidence that the closure had reduced the likelihood of danger to persons using the roads in the vicinity of the primary school, they responded “there is also no evidence to the contrary”, adding that the closure over the last three years had been “broadly popular”.

The report to elected members asks them to note the objection and “note the decision of the head of infrastructure under delegated powers to set aside the objections and approve the making of the traffic regulation order”.