Council officers ate humble pie at a stormy residents meeting after admitting notification a new road scheme could have been dealt with better.

Homeowners in Tisbury Road and neighbouring streets say they were not told about the proposed traffic plan for Holgate Park, as reported in yesterday's Evening Press.

During a two-hour emergency meeting at Poppleton Road School last night, council highways spokesman Peter Evely faced more than 60 residents angry about the scheme which is linked to the new industrial development on the former ABB site.

Action group members say they were not informed about plans for traffic islands and lights at the proposed site entrance, double yellow lines and widening to the mouths of several streets off Poppleton Road.

As a result of the meeting some of the proposals have been put on hold until residents have been consulted.

Peter Evely today said: "While we had carried out everything we were legally obliged to do, it is obvious that we did not do a very good job and that we could have done this a lot better.

"This issue has highlighted some weaknesses in our system and we need to look at things differently in future.

"What has not been right is that the planning application which the city council received back in June for the development of the whole site was advertised in the way we would normally advertise a conservatory extension.

"It has become clear now that the residents will have looked at the thing and thought there would be some sort of development over the road but have not taken the trouble to look at the details.

"We need to be more pro-active in the future and advise people more directly on what is going on rather than just through an advertisement."

Mr Evely maintains that letters were sent out to the residents affected on each road while they are adamant they were never received.

Resident Ida Pawson said: "I have been here over 40 years and kept every letter from the council. Do you think I would have let one like this slip by me? Surely at least one of the letters would have reached its destination."

Neighbour Alex Fraser added: "We feel as if we have been duped. I can say on behalf of all residents there last night that we came away from the meeting feeling very deflated knowing that there was nothing we could do.

"The council wanted to do this and they have gone ahead and done it."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.