Residents Angry Over ‘Unannounced’ Road Closure – Council Admits Failure

Published on: 24 Feb, 2016
Updated on: 25 Feb, 2016

The entrance to Sandy Lane off the A3100 Portsmouth Road.

Residents on the southern edge of Guildford, at St Catherine’s, are angry that a road has been closed for eight weeks by building contractors without adequate notice.

Sandy Lane, a minor road that leads from the A3100 Portsmouth Road to one entrance of Surrey Police headquarters and then on to Littleton, was closed on Monday, February 15.

An inaccurate road closure notice was published in the Surrey Advertiser on January 29 indicating that the road would be closed for a single day.

A corrected version was then published on February 12, and some warning signs posted, just 72 hours before the eight week closure was effected. No letters were sent to affected residents until after the road had been closed.

The Traffic Order dated February 12 – just three days before the road was closed. Click on images to enlarge.

One regular user of the road, who did not wish to be named, said: “There has been no consultation …local residents were not informed, as they should have been, and the first they knew of it was when the road was shut on the 15th of February.

“The closure is probably illegal, because of the error with the statutory notices, and they are doing their best to cover their arses. The responses from the authority received by a number of residents have been arrogant, to say the least. Essentially, SCC [Surrey County Council] are not going to do anything about it.”

The building site between Sandy Lane and Chestnut Avenue. A new retaining wall will allow more housing units to be fitted into the space.

The purpose of the closure is to allow a developer, who is building houses in Chestnut Avenue, to build a new retaining wall against Sandy Lane which will allow more units to be fitted into the site. Affected residents feel that they are being “massively inconvenienced” to increase the private profit of the developer.

Those who live in Sandy Lane have to drive via Littleton and New Pond Road to reach Guildford, a three- mile diversion.

In an email, an apologetic SCC highways manager, John Hilder, wrote that according to the SCC legal team the failure to erect warning signs did not invalidate the traffic regulation order authorising the closure.

He continued: “…to re-open the road the 50m long piling platform that is now in place would have to be removed… this course of action would add around two weeks to the duration of the closure, extending inconvenience and disruption for residents. For this reason only I am permitting the developer to continue with the works and closure.”

The email from the Surrey County Council highways manager to one of the residents who complained.

Roger Musson, chairman of Artington Parish Council

Roger Musson the chairman of Artington Parish Council and one of the residents affected, said: “Artington parish residents are appalled by the mismanagement of the closure of Sandy Lane by Surrey County Council and the contractors, AMIRI, who in spite of having worked together for a year, failed to comply with the legal requirements to give due notice of the eight- week closure.

“Residents who have been consulted welcome and fully support the action of County Cllr George Johnson [UKIP, Shalford] and his representations to SCC that they  should instruct the contractor to cease working immediately, re-open the road, and fulfil the statutory obligations regarding timing and consultation.”

Cllr George Johnson, the county councillor for Shalford Division

However, in a meeting last night (February 23) residents, while laying most of the blame on Surrey County Council for failing to properly supervise the road closure, agreed that the best course of action was, now, to seek to ensure that all the work is completed within the eight week period.

Simultaneously they wished the possibility of using private routes for access and permission to use the closed off section of road for residents’ parking to be investigated.

One resident observed: “The road has been closed for two weeks and I have seen little sign of activity and progress. They must be made to get on and complete this work so that the closure does not just drag on.”

A bore hole rig in action by Sandy Lane today (February 24).

Another resident calculated that the extra mileage she would drive would cost £300 in addition to considerable amounts of time, especially when there are queues on the A3100 between Peasmarsh and St Catherine’s.

Grahame Pettit of AMIRI Construction, the company hired to carry out the building works, told The Guildford Dragon NEWS that he would be happy to meet with representatives of the residents and discuss their concerns.

The warning sign from AMIRI Construction understood to have been posted less than 72 hours before the road was closed.

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