The Hole in the Hedge - good news!

I think I stumbled across some great news in last week's Newsletter! Hidden away at the back in amongst the Births Marriages and Deaths and the small ads was a Legal Notice inserted by Staffordshire County Council announcing  a road closure in Mount Road starting on 13 February.

It affects Mount Road for a distance of 350 metres in a south easterly direction from the canal. And it will  be over by the 2nd March or such time as "the footpath construction and traffic calming measures" have been completed.

So at long last the final part of the Whitebridge estate jigsaw will be put in place! Let me explain.

The hole in the hedge - soon to be opened up!

When planning permission was originally granted to build the Whitebridge estate many many years ago there was a condition imposed that there should be pedestrian and cycle access from and to  Mount Road between the canal and the railway bridge. Mount Road was to be narrowed by 'Give Way to Oncoming Traffic' build outs and by the building of an extension of the footpath along Mount Road from the bottom corner of the Plot, over the railway bridge and down to the point where access was to gained to the estate.

Gradually Whitebridge estate was built. Various developers came and went. But nothing happened in Mount Road. I understand that there were enormous legal disputes about who was responsible for the road works. About ten years ago, the last developer built a footpath between Navigation Loop and the hedge. Indeed, initially part of the hedge was removed and for a few days it was possible to get out of the estate onto Mount Road. But it was lethal. Cars travel along that stretch at high speeds and it was obvious to everyone that there was an accident just waiting to happen. As a consequence, I and other councillors called for the 'hole in the hedge ' to blocked up until the traffic calming measures were installed. So a fence was put up to block up the hole in the hedge and it's been like that for many years.

Despite numerous demands for action, nothing has happened for years. But now it looks as if the problem is to be solved! Opening up the estate and installing the new footpath and the calming measures will be a great benefit to residents, cyclist and walkers. It will be worth the road being closed for a couple of weeks just to see the scheme finished! Well done, Staffs County Council!