“No Repeat of Sandgate Road Closure Debacle” Pledge Councillors
Flashback to the recent prolonged road closure
The two councillors for Harvey West ward in Folkestone, Rory Love and George Bunting, have made a pledge to residents that they will fight any future planned road closures in their ward unless and until they can be told the expected completion date. They also want to know what contingency plans are in place should the road works meet with unexpected problems that prevent the proposed completion date being met.
In a letter to a residents’ association in a block of flats inconvenienced by the recent and prolonged closure of Sandgate Road, the councillors have expressed their hope that by taking this tough line, no other residents will have to suffer in the same way.
Cllrs Love and Bunting have acknowledged that as district councillors they have few powers in highway matters, but they believe the conclusion to the Sandgate Road debacle demonstrated that they can exert considerable influence on those who do have such powers. They say they will use that influence to prevent other local people and businesses suffer the disruption of the recent diversion.
The two councillors accept that emergency works requiring a road closure may be necessary, if for example a sewer collapses. In their letter to the Garden House Court Residents’ Association, they say that they would then expect the immediate remedial works to be carried out, but would still apply their new criteria to any further works needed for a longer-term solution. They would not accept the argument that it is more cost-effective to delay the work so it can all be done in one go, unless the cost of the disruption to local people and businesses is also factored in to the cost-effectiveness case.
Cllr Rory Love said:
“Most of the delay in the Sandgate Road works involved a dispute between Southern Water and the County Council. Cllr Bunting and I were struck by the speed at which a conclusion was reached once we forced a debate on the matter at the influential Joint Transportation Board. Neither side wanted further adverse publicity.
“In future, we would expect legal disputes to be resolved before the road is closed. Once a diversion is in place, there is little incentive for either side to sort out the problem and get the works done. So we will oppose any planned road closures in our ward unless and until we are given a completion date and given details of any contingency plans in case that date cannot be met. We also expect the completion date to be set to minimise inconvenience to businesses and the community.
“We hope this approach may become a model for the whole Council.”
12th January 2009
“ We will oppose any planned road closures in our ward unless and until we are given a completion date ”