The closure of Tarporley Road for 5 weeks for the new Saxon Heath development has brought a number of complaints to the Parish Council. The item was also raised in the open forum at the Council meeting on Monday evening. Not only has the length of the closure been criticised but also the lack of notice given and the woeful lack of explanatory road signs.
The Clerk has been in regular contact with the Highways Department since the road closure signs appeared on Tarporley Road and Councillor Cotgreave met with representatives of the works contractor, McPhillips Ltd, and Taylor Wimpey on Thursday 20th June to find out more about this major disruption.
The work is being undertaken to install both sewage and foul water pipelines to join the existing system. There will be a 3 metre deep trench in the middle of the road and, as this needs to be shuttered for the protection of workers, it means that neither a single way system, or evening/weekend access are possible. Both firms expressed the hope that the work would be completed in less than the 5 weeks allocated. Other services, gas, water and electricity, will be brought on site from different directions and the road should not have to be disturbed again. The construction of the new footpath and cycle way from Gamul Court to the new development will be completed at the same time. The firms also said that new road signs had been ordered and should be in place soon.
The Parish Council accepts that no such development can be done without some disruption but is determined that this should be kept at a minimum and feels that talking regularly and constructively with both the contractors and the Borough Council, is the way to proceed. Councillor Hones has spoken to the Site Manager to try and ensure that large construction vehicles do not regularly use the High Street to get to the site. Any concerns that individual Councillors receive will be passed on to Councillor Hones who has agreed to take them up quickly with the company. Regular construction traffic in the High Street and Lower High Street is not acceptable. A sign directing vehicles not to turn left when leaving the site is now in place, but the large number of suppliers used by the builders makes their arrival on site more difficult to control.
Phil McHugh, the Production manager of Taylor Wimpey North West has offered to attend a Parish Council meeting and that has offer has been accepted. Taylor Wimpey worked hard to gain the approval and trust of the Parish before the development was approved and the Parish Council is determined to hold them to the high standards they claim throughout what will be a lengthy building phase.
Any resident with concerns should bring them to the Clerk or to any Parish Councillor who will follow up the matter promptly.
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