Dear Editor
Anyone living in and around Crewe is now well aware that the A530 Middlewich Road is closed with sections out of bounds until November 2023.
A couple of weeks in and we’ve seen the mayhem caused by the loss of this key route from Nantwich to Middlewich, a ‘confusion’ of diversion signs and have our own ‘personal’ tales to tell of the knock-on impacts.
Despite being an important strategic site in the Local Plan, I cannot find (despite trawling through planning applications, reports, maps and plans), a single hint of the major disruption that’s now being imposed on Crewe and surrounding areas.
I’ve read complex traffic modelling plans for the finished road layout, improved long-term traffic connectivity and air quality management solutions.
I’ve found conditions and informatives for elements of the wider site management, even down to wheel-washing procedures.
But I can’t find a thing about when and how a whopping 80-week scheme of road closures was approved!
It’s not surprising then, that there appears to have been no evaluation of the social and economic costs of this scheme for residents, businesses and of course, the impact on patients, visitors and staff of Leighton Hospital, our principal emergency medical centre.
So who knew?
Residents, parish and town councils, the ward member and interested parties make no mention of an 80-week road closures scheme in their comments on the planning portal.
Nor does the data appear to have been available to the Planning Committee to inform their debate in July 2019 – it’s not even mentioned.
So if you knew or were there, please share, otherwise the question remains; who knew?”
Yours,
Cllr Janet Clowes
Conservative Group Leader
Cheshire East Council
What do you expect as they cannot fill in potholes properly and are to employ “Quality Assurance Officers” to inspect the work of the so called Integrated Highways Team.
Earlier this year they closed part of Rope Lane for nearly a week to carry out some potholes and poor surface repairs – good job done. The letter telling us mentioned Rope Lane Shavington which was wrong as it was Wistaston. We got a letter yesterday 22nd May saying that Rope Lane will again be closed for repair (29th May) which I think is to the Railway Bridge surface as it does not say which part. Another poor communication and organisation skills by CEC.
I’m absolutely appalled by the road closure at Leighton thanks to Bentley i am carer for my mum ans have to go all over the place just to get food to her on a scooter im unhappy and stressed with it
It seems odd to me that the council has given away 2 roads off the Middlewich road to Bentley, now they are building another road to eleviate the traffic caused by the loss of these 2 roads.
Maybe we should have kept those roads till the work was done.
From what I have read in the NWCP highway scheme papers, the closure of Middlewich Road between Pyms Lane and Smithy Lane is only until October 2022