Greenhithe High Street, Road Closure Complaint
Your KCC Councillor and SGRA Chairman Peter Harman has today written to KCC to formally complain.
Here is what Peter has said:
I wish to register a complaint that I would like investigated and reported back on.
On Friday 24th September 2021 Thames Water contractors attended High Street, Greenhithe to carry out work on a water leak near the junction with Frobisher Way. There had been a number of small leaks in that location over recent months, so this was an ongoing problem that had been under investigation. I understand that the contractors were there most of the day and removed about a dozen paving blocks from the pavement area. They were waiting for other contractors to arrive with fencing equipment, and in the late afternoon they fenced off the pavement and adjacent roadway; and then left the site with the road closed for the weekend. The High Street was left closed all weekend, which concerned inconvenienced residents who have complained to me.
The three specific areas of complaint are as follows:
(a) There was no notice of this work taking place and of the road closure, so I presume that this work was being carried out as urgent work (as stated in the notice issued). However, this was not an emergency as there was no visible leak in the area, and this was exploratory work regarding a long-standing slight underground leakage in an adjacent garden.
(b) KCC Highways issued the urgent road closure notice shown below, but this shows the closed road as being Frobisher Way. The road closure was in fact for the High Street (not Frobisher Way, which remained open), and I presume that Thames Water passed the incorrect information to KCC Highways who acted upon it in good faith.
(c) The High Street remained closed all weekend for no purpose, the paving blocks were apparently removed to suggest that some meaningful work had been taking place. There was no activity on the roadway all weekend, and the High Street remained closed needlessly. Thames Water also had the option of fencing off just the small area of pavement where the blocks had been removed rather than closing the whole road.
A further update will be provided once he receives a response.