The gas network’s warning sign of impending roadworks is back by the Ferry Road level crossing in Rye this week only two weeks after East Sussex County Council (ESCC) Highways Department revoked their original permission for road works on Rye Hill.
The night before that story was published, February 19, an informal meeting of parish councillors and others had raised their concerns about the impact of the roadworks with ESCC and local MPs, and the existing permission for the work was speedily revoked.
Less than a week later Rye town councillor Pat Hughes told last week’s (March 5) town meeting and ESCC’s leader Councillor Keith Glazier how she had been raising concerns about the proposed works since last November with both the gas network SGN and ESCC.
Nevertheless within a couple of days ESCC Highways Department had agreed new dates for the work – with no apparent sign of any further consultation.
Full details of the ESCC decision can be found on the town council website. However the town council’s request for a site meeting and offer to help with any consultation were both turned down by the gas network and its contractors.
The information displayed on the electronic sign at Ferry Road is that Military Road will be closed from March 23 to April 10, and the junction of Rye Hill with the Landgate and Fishmarket Road will be closed from March 30 to April 17.
The closure of Military Road will dealt with by a diversion via Appledore while the closure of Rye Hill is dealt with by a diversion via Hastings and Northiam to Playden – and both have been agreed by ESCC Highways.
Allegedly much of the work will be done over half term to reduce the impact of the work on school journeys, but no mention has been made of the impact on GP and hospital appointments in Playden which run into hundreds weekly – or the impact on bus services.
It is also not clear whether the closure of the Landgate junction will be clearly signposted so lorries and coaches do not get trapped in the one way system – a system already badly affected in the High Street by scaffolding around The George Hotel.
[Editor’s note : I received a detailed report from Pat Hughes yesterday, who spoke at length about these roadworks at the town meeting last week, setting out some of the problems the new proposals will cause for parents and their children, and GP and hospital patients, from a wide area around Rye. This is published as a comment below.
And, if you have the same concerns, you should be getting in touch immediately with your local councillors (county, district and town) and with East Sussex County Council’s Highways Department who appear to have grossly mishandled these proposed roadworks and where minimal consultation has taken place with those most deeply affected.
Image Credits: John Minter .
Last Friday SGN issued information regarding forthcoming gas works in Rye. We had suspected that SGN were anxious to get the works under way asap following a request from them earlier in the week for help in finding a venue for a ‘drop-in session’ where they could explain their plans to anyone who attended, adding that East Sussex Highways had stipulated that such an event had to be held that week.
No drop-in session took place (due to the coronavirus, SGN are avoiding holding events where there may be large numbers of the public present) and there was absolutely no consultation with stakeholders before the revised dates for the works were announced. According to SGN’s 6th March info the works will commence on 23rd March with the Military Road phase involving its closure and a diversion route along Military Road to Appledore, via the A259 back through to Fishmarket Road. Houghton Green Lane is not in this official route as it is not an appropriate road, however drivers will plough up and down it to get to and from Rye Hill as the official diversion takes a good half hour to drive. Obviously SGN/ES Highways has no responsibility in the event of any incidents/damage occurring as drivers should not be using it as a diversion route.
Phase 1 is estimated to take approximately 2 weeks after which phase 2 on Rye Hill will begin. This involves closing Rye Hill at the junction with Fishmarket Road and Landgate, again for approximately 2 weeks. The official diversion route for this is now along the A259 through to Hastings, along Hastings seafront, up London Road A21 to the A28, through Westfield to Northiam and back along the A268 to Rye Hill – this journey takes about an hour. Even an unofficial route going up the B2089 to Broad Oak and along to Northiam and back on the A268 takes about 35 minutes.
According to SGN they have rescheduled the project to be carried out across the school half-term holiday to reduce the inconvenience to the local community, however East Sussex schools’ Easter holiday is from 6th-17th April. It would appear that the intention is that the Rye Hill work would take place then so as to avoid problems with school transport, however we learned yesterday that East Sussex Highways has vetoed work being done over the Easter Bank Holiday which might result in an overrun.
Just to confuse matters, SGN’s electronic signage, which went up on 7th March, refers to phase 1 (Military Road) starting on 23rd March for 3 weeks and phase 2 (Rye Hill) on 30th March also for 3 weeks.This has obviously caused enormous concern among parents of pupils at St Michael’s School: will they have to drive 20 miles extra to get their children there?
Obviously, our biggest concern, as with the original scheduling, is over getting people up to Rye Medical Centre/Rye,Winchelsea & District Memorial Hospital. Our estimate is that this will affect around a thousand people (attending appointments, collecting prescriptions, etc), about two thirds of whom would go there in their own vehicles with the rest either travelling by public bus (312/313/326), taxi or the Dial-a-Ride service. This is why the local councils (Rye, Playden, Rye Foreign, Iden, Peasmarsh) and ourselves recommended the use of Deadman’s Lane for light traffic under managed traffic light control to get to/from Rye Hill. SGN and East Sussex Highways appear determined that this should not happen. With the unofficial diversion increasing journey time from Rye to the Medical Centre/Hospital four-fold this creates an impossible situation for patients, etc.
Rye Medical Centre is a very busy practice with patients attending from Rye Harbour, Camber and Winchelsea (south of Rye) as well as Rye itself while the Hospital has a range of regular outpatient clinics including podiatry. The 4-day weeks either side of the Easter weekend are especially pressured. It seems incredible that SGN can ignore the needs of a community to get to health care easily and simply apologise for causing any inconvenience.
Mr John Morea, CEO of SGN, has this week stated that the works in Rye are on a list to be completed by March 2020. None of us had heard of this previously, why is it being trotted out now? Surely, when the original scheduling was done there must have been some assessment of potential problems for each project? And surely that was the time to consult with stakeholders to try to work out sensible and realistic solutions so that communities would not be put into damaging and dangerous situations. Given the current public health emergency on top of our usual health issues (and we are still in the grip of winter flu, etc) should SGN really be insisting on putting our community in such a position?
We have asked both of our MPs, Sally-Ann Hart and Huw Merriman for their help.
The first concern I believe is around ESCC not permitting SGN to work over the Easter weekend. I can understand where the confusion may have come from, as our initial advice was that we would not permit them to work over the bank holiday weekend. This is a standard approach used by us, other authorities and Highway England for the Easter weekend. However, upon review it appears that the road cannot be opened up to traffic anyway once the closure is in place and therefore it makes sense for SGN to maximise the use of the road closure and complete the works as soon as possible to avoid a longer period of disruption in the school term. On this basis we did send a clarification email to SGN on Tuesday to confirm our change of approach. I have been provided a copy of this email and I have been informed that the SGN Project Manager is well aware of the change. As you know lol we cannot make them work during the weekend, so it is in their hands now if they choose to, but I can confirm they will not meet any objections from us.
The second concern I believe is around the condition of local roads which although not on part of the official diversion route, are likely to be used by residents and commuters who know the area. I have therefore agreed we will arrange inspections of Deadman’s Lane, Houghton Green Lane and Houghton Lane before the works start. We will make sure that we repair any safety defects prior to the road closure. We will also visit these roads again after the works to make sure no issues have developed which we need to address.
The third concern seems to be around the road closure lasting longer than the Easter Holidays and the potential impact this may have on schools and in particular Homewood School. Whilst we do understand that a road closure, particularly on a school run, is disruptive and frustrating, with sufficient notice it is possible for school transport and parents to plan for additional time and arrange for children to get to and from school for the short time of the closure. If there are day to day concerns that residents have around this they will need to direct these to SGN.
The Parish Council has also raised concerns how patients and staff from Rye will be able to travel to the Rye Medical Centre/Rye, Winchelsea & District Memorial Hospital. I am not quite sure where the impression has come from that there will be an issue with access to either of these services, but I can confirm 100% that service users will still be able to visit the medical centre and the Hospital and attend their appointments. They will have to use the diversion route to do this and I appreciate this may again increase journey times. I know the Parish Council has asked what we intend to do to support patients travelling to the facilities, if they feel support with access and transport is needed for patients this is something that should be addressed with SGN. However, it should be noted that SGN are not obliged to make any concessions outside the permit.
We are also aware that questions have been raised around why Deadmans Lane cannot be made two way with temporary traffic lights. Unfortunately two way lights would not be suitable to manage the traffic as the preceding roads would also be significantly affected as we would have to suspend any parking along the road to enable a two way flow with queuing traffic along Love Lane. It would make the situation even more difficult for residents travelling around the area – and it is therefore not something we will look to do.
The last concern from what I can tell is that we have not consulted with the Parish Council about decisions in the local community. I can absolutely understand why they feel this way but it is for the utility companies who undertaking the works to carry out any communications and consultations required with affected residents and road users. As you will also know, if we were to consult with communities on all road closures, and diversion routes it would be almost impossible to get anything done. In this case it is unfortunate as SGN were going to do a drop in session with residents but due to concerns about public gatherings and corona virus they have cancelled this. I have been informed that a letter has been sent to residents and the key stakeholders who are directly impacted explaining the works.
We understand the above is not the answer the Parish Council or the residents that have contacted you want. But, these are necessary maintenance works being delivered by SGN. Our role is to make sure that the road closure which is put in place is the safest for road users, which we are confident this is. We know that the diversion route is significant and will mean longer journeys for road users – but unfortunately to enable SGN to carry out these much needed works the road closure is unavoidable.
Re Cllr Glazier’s comments regarding Houghton Green Lane. The road is in a terrible state, especially after months of rain. It is also very narrow. Also there is a weight limit at the junction with Military road. I assume this is in place for structural/safety reasons. And yet we all know that this is the route that the majority of diverted traffic will use, including sat nav guided HGVs.
It also puts children’s lives at serious risk. That lane is terrible anyway with us being turned down for our appeal to reduce the speed limit in the area of the school.
It doesn’t have to be an official diversion route for people to use it as one. Who does the buck stop with there? The parents? After their one hour round trip to school donning high vis and slowing down the traffic morning and afternoon?
If this has to go ahead then support could at least be given to ensure this doesn’t end in tragedy!
So keith Glazier states once the road is closed,it cannot be opened to traffic,i beg to differ, so no access to emergency vehicles, no access to people living on the road, who have disability problems, and carers visiting sick people, recently when new winchelsea road was closed,i asked for access to my home,and the contractors provided a convoy for me. Working with people is the best way around these roadworks,Dictatorship is Not.
Cllr Glazier’s response is, as usual, comprehensive in its representation of ESCCs position. He misses the opportunity to show fully how he has discharged his responsibilities to the community he represents although I know he has worked diligently to do so in the last few weeks. His comment that there is no issue over continued access to the medical facilities on Rye Hill is dubious – car drivers will of course be able to use the diversion routes and, though it hasn’t been mentioned, I assume pedestrian access through the roadworks will be maintained. Those who will have an issue are those relying on public transport and taxis, I would like to see some clarification from him and SGN on how that issue will be addressed
As an aside, on behalf of Rye Foreign PC, the hospital and medical centre are actually in Rye Foreign not Playden.
Will pedestrian access be available at all times from Rye hill to and from the town and into Military Road?
Pedestrian access will not be affected.
Yes
As I see it it is a rock and a hard place situation. The work needs due to be done to prevent a major gas leak which could well cause an explosion and a fire; followed by a few million pounds legal fees to cover court costs and compensation. i.e. the gas board found guilty of failing to carry out appropriate maintenance. On the other hand there will be a few weeks of major disruption to more than a few thousand people. This is to make sure the gas main is safe for now and in the the future. The question do you wait for the big bang, followed by weeks of disruption, or do you get the disruption over and done with. In London a major fire was caused by an electrical cable burning out, which in turn caused a gas main the burst which resulted in a major fire. The result was a lot of disruption followed by a lot of court cases claiming compensation etc.
Well, well, well.
So, the end of the world is nigh due to a couple of road closures?
Time and again, I noted many comments are tainted with ‘its somebodies else’s fault or somebody else’s job’.
Does it really matter, SGN’s ‘official diversion’ is a load of nonsense? They will be sticking by the rules. And as everybody knows ‘rules are rules’ but when promulgated by jobsworths it is best to ignore.
Does it matter, a small bunch of kids will have a little longer trip to school? I am sure even though the little darlings and their (in some cases) slothful parents can cope with getting up slightly earlier in the morning to deliver them. They will get used to it and perhaps will enjoy a more scenic trip to school.
Heaven forbid an extra few miles chauffeured drive to school may affect their God given lifestyle.
Regarding attendance at Rye Medical centre. Yes, it will be a bit of a challenge to some, but here is a clip from this very same rag (Charles Harkness on a ‘Risky Time for All’)
“I have to be careful as I am an elderly person with underlying health problems (apart from old age) and I was at Eastbourne Hospital on Monday. My “patient transport” car took me on a lovely scenic route through the Weald’s woods and valleys and I was struck how last week’s rain on Wednesday/Thursday had turned some valleys (once tidal estuaries)”
In short, the best was made of a necessary journey to hospital.
Did nobody think of asking SGN to fund a regular small bus service (say on an hourly basis) from Rye rail station (you know where the regular rail services bus leaves when Southern cannot deliver) up to the Medical Centre or even perhaps do a school run, via the scenic route?
Parents can deliver the little darlings to the rail station and collect from same. Similarly, patients and visitors can connect with transport to the Medical Centre.
The fact of the matter is the work must be done. Instead of whinging and whining some people need to get over it. Get a grip and come up with best fit solutions instead of buck passing.
At the end of the day consider yourselves lucky you have an excellent Medical Centre to go too and indeed schools for the kids to attend.
For a short period of a couple of weeks, it will just take a little longer getting to these places.
In today’s climate make the best of it. You don’t know how long you may have to enjoy the journey.
I don’t think it’s just the inconvenience and disruption that’s the issue here (though nobody could call an hour long diversion small). It’s the high-handed and arrogant way this has been imposed by SGN and ESCC with only lip service paid to the very real and serious concerns raised and no attempt to meet with people to see if a less disruptive solution could be found.
Maybe something positive could come out of this closure?
Deadman’s Lane is in a really dangerous state, this would be a great opportunity to get it re-surfaced
Are you inviting the local council to resurface Deadmans Lane in the middle of all the road closures; the timing would be just about right…..
Very few minor roads are ever resurfaced. It’s always the same two guys with a bucket of cold tar!
I would seem to me that a traffic light system to allow 2 way traffic, for local residents, along Deadman’s Lane would solve some of the problems for some of the time.