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| County Councillor David Harrison and county Councillor Alan Weeks talking with Parliamentary Campaigner Terry Scriven |
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| Looking down Rumbridge Street |
Totton County Councillor, David Harrison, has dubbed Rumbridge Street, Totton as “Glum Bridge Street” as the misery continues, with much of the road closed off and full of large holes.
Many traders in Rumbridge Street are in despair at the length of time diversions and closures have been in place, seriously impacting on their businesses. Local residents and shoppers have been complaining bitterly about the seemingly never-ending road-works that are soon to be extended into the High Street.
Cllr. Harrison, former Chairman of Totton & Eling Town Council, visited Rumbridge Street this week with fellow Liberal Democrat County Councillor, Alan Weeks and Parliamentary Candidate, Terry Scriven. The visit gave them little encouragement that things were progressing well. Southern Gas Network were excavating large sections of the road, including a very expensive cobbled surface that had only been laid recently, as part of the County Council’s Environmental enhancements.
Cllr. Harrison says “I’m really angry. The whole scheme to improve Rumbridge Street has been allowed to stumble from one crisis to another. The County Council forged ahead with Phase 1 of the scheme only to discover that the subsoil was in poor condition and the drainage need repairs. Presently, the gas people are digging up the road. When they have finished, it is planned to dig it up again to fix the drains. Other blunders include the wrong sort of soil delivered to the landscaped area on the old lorry park. Contractors then dumped materials and portable toilets on the finished landscaped areas. It’s a complete disaster from start to finish.
The Conservative Portfolio holder for The Environment, Cllr. Mel Kendal, has declined my repeated requests to appoint a Project Manager to deal with projects like this in Totton. Local people are sick of these blunders. Some businesses are suffering so badly that they are closing down”.
In the light of recent experience, Councillor Harrison has now called upon the Conservative controlled County Council to completely review further planned work for Rumbridge Street. Terry Scriven says “Everyone accepts that there has to be some disruption from necessary road-works but what has happened in Rumbridge Street is well beyond acceptable. The Conservative controlled County Council really needs to get a grip on this project”. |
At the last 12 meetings of RMRA this situation of the old lorry park to the current mess has been raised with always hope that we would get what promised at the start 2 years ago. At the recent meeting the increased mess plus Rumbridge St itself has made the residents feel that they are being taken for a very expensive Council Tax ride to leave us and our loyal local traders not just ignored but insulted. Now we feel it will never end, but be a sistematic destruction. It was felt some one somewhere is to blame and NFDc & HCC came in for considerable critism. I am charged with writing a letter to both leaders to get a definitive straight unwooly answer. The situation is so rediculous that I meet a car having to get away from its own house by driving towards me along the pavement. I was surprised to meet a car and the driver was embarrassed. Let no council ever complaint about cyclists on the pavement, cars have to and I have a photo of it. What planning of an event! Someones to blame!
Bill Catt Hon Sec RMRA |
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