Last year I requested footpath repairs to be carried out at Station Road in Blackhall Rocks. This followed concerns expressed by residents that the footpath surface had become worn and, in my opinion, dangerously unsafe. I was assured at the time that repair works would be added to the council's work programme for the coming financial year.
However, I've now been told that repair works to all footpaths across the county have been stopped for up to 4 years because internet companies are intent on digging the pavements up to install fibre optic cables. I find this unacceptable, especially when residents are having to contend with dangerously damaged footpaths. In no way should they have to endure unsafe walking conditions because someone wants to repeatedly dig up their street.
To make matters worse, I've been contacted again by residents in Station Road concerned about a letter received from the council recently demanding that they install dropped kerbs outside their properties at their own expense - the assumption being that somehow they're solely to blame for the damaged footpath. Furthermore, it makes no sense to force residents to carry out dropped kerb works now only for the pavements to be dug up again, either when the internet companies install their cables or when footpath reconstruction works are eventually carried out by the council.
I've been in touch with the highways engineer who circulated the letter to raise the issue on behalf of residents and I've since received the most appalling response I've ever received in which the engineer appears to be blaming residents in Station Road for the damage caused by their vehicles half-parked on the pavement.
For a start the whole tone of the letter is completely unacceptable. Further, the engineer appears to assume that all residents have vehicles which is demonstrably not the case. To round this all off he accuses residents of being 'angry' and 'VERY stubborn'. Clearly his perception is misguided. What he seems to mistake for anger is simply an expression of alarm and bewilderment from residents in the middle of a cost of living crisis who have just received what they see as a demand from the council that they themselves should stump up for repair works, when all they'd asked for is for a dangerously damaged public footpath to be made safe again.
Finally, the engineer doesn't appear to understand that if residents on both sides of Station Road parked their vehicles fully on the road as instructed there'd be chaos in the street with cars and vans blocked from going in and coming back out again. There seems to be no recognition that Station Road is the only highway access to a very busy picnic area on the coast at the bottom of the street, nor is there any acknowledgement that the bin motor would no longer be able to access properties to empty the bins in either Station Road or Railway Cottages.
I've published the response below so you can judge for yourself whether or not you think this is appalling conduct from a local authority that really ought to know better how to deal with the residents it is meant to serve.
I'll continue to pursue this matter until residents get the service they deserve.
Hi Rob,
You are the one who created the CRNs 2384 & 3206 because your residents said the paths were in a very bad condition and present a stumbling hazard for elderly residents. The elderly residents have caused the issues themselves unfortunately.
As you know, the pavement at the vehicle crossing areas are becoming quite bad now, and are getting worse with each pass.
All of these properties should have had vehicle accesses at the time and should have obtained planning permission and Social housing permission when the drives were installed.
We cannot enforce residents the create a dropped kerb and strengthened path if no damage is occurring.
The highways inspector was going to do a slurry seal repair to the footways, but would not do it until all strengthened driveway accesses had a dropped kerb installed to them first. The HI said Letters were sent in May 21, with no reply.
Unfortunately, damage is now occurring to the extent that a slurry seal repair is now not viable.
People visiting the houses are also causing damage by parking on the path also.
[a highways engineer] was going to do a full scheme on the proviso that letters would be sent to those residents, and they could have a discounted price to create vehicle accesses during our works.
[The highways engineer's] scheme has been pulled, so it wont happen for at least 4 years now.
I also doubt that these elderly residents would pay the contribution fee anyway, as they have been quite angry towards me since my letter (one of which is a disabled resident who has caused the most damage).
Some residents have done illegal dropped kerbs which are substandard, so they have wasted more of their money anyway.
I'm waiting for a reply from Believe Housing to ask why permission hasn’t been granted by them.
I recently sent the letters to both sides of the road.
The residents of the ODD numbers are all complying with my request and have appointed a contractor to do the work very shortly.
All residents of the EVEN numbers have said that they will not comply, so I'm afraid I will have to go to the second letter stage once I receive a response from Believe.
The ODD numbers were not as bad as the paths on the EVEN numbers, but they have mostly complied. Only the ones with no damage are not going to have the work done until defects appear, or the houses are sold on, then the solicitors should pick up the fact that they have no access to the classified C81 road.
Only 1 person in that whole street, both sides, have obtained any permissions for planning and dropped kerb works since 2000 (when I began doing dropped kerbs in the Highways section).
Those EVEN numbers are VERY stubborn people that I have spoken to.
Regards
