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Great barrier grief… Stratford divided by road closure off Birmingham Road




THE work being done on Birmingham Road, in Stratford, continued to cause tension and frustration this week.

After the Herald wrote in the last edition about the closure of St Peter Way – which was being used by some drivers as a means of avoiding the worst of the jams and getting from Birmingham Road to Bishopton Lane – we were inundated with opinions from those opposed to its closure and residents of the route furious that it had been referred to as a “handy cut-through”

“It is highly irresponsible to highlight a residential road as a ‘cut-through’,” said Nick Sedgwick in an email.

“I am also concerned about access for the emergency services, but the heavy barriers were put in place because signs were being ignored and even moved by members of the public.”

The barrier blocking traffic from entering – and leaving – St Peter’s Way, Stratford. Photo: Iain Duck
The barrier blocking traffic from entering – and leaving – St Peter’s Way, Stratford. Photo: Iain Duck

Taking further umbrage with our report, Mr Sedgwick said: “St Peter’s Way residents are in fact inconvenienced by the closure of their own road, with school runs and commutes taking much longer and added this to their report rather than just suggesting the residents are all mean-spirited.”

Businesses around the area, including at Maybird and the industrial estates, have been hardest hit by the roadworks, with reports that takings and footfall have plummeted.

There was concern that with businesses still reeling from the impact of the Warwick Road closure over summer, this double whammy of works could potentially have long-term repercussions.

District council deputy leader George Cowcher, who looks after planning and economic development, told the Herald: “We’re very keen to see the improvements done to Birmingham Road, but it comes after the Warwick Road, which to be honest were somewhat more controversial. I think we were expecting Birmingham Road to be the one that was done a while ago. Warwick Road was unfortunately something that came in from crossfield for us, so we weren’t anticipating that at all.”

He continued: “The cumulative effect, frankly, has people very concerned. It’s really important that the county council expedite work on Birmingham Road and ensure that the amount of disruption is minimised.

“We’re going to move into the very busy pre-Christmas period when all shops and businesses need maximum exposure. It’s really important that this is given urgent attention.”

While the county council has yet to respond to the Herald about what it is doing to help business, Cllr Cowcher said they are in regular dialogue and are aware of the district council’s concerns.

He’s also aware of the “exasperation” the business community feels.

“It’s been a patchy summer for some businesses, and what they have said to us is that the Christmas trading period is really important and we need to make sure that we’re minimising any form of disruption.”

One of the problems was that the district council is not the lead authority on the works.

“We’re not in any way in any control over this matter,” explained Cllr Cowcher. “I think this is one of our problems with the two-tier councils. We’re dealing with planning and economic development and the county’s dealing with transport.”



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