Advertisement
Wailing greets walls project
Reporter: Ken Bennett
Date online: 26 February 2010
Councillors fear loss of character and disruption
OLDHAM Council are facing a protest from Saddleworth councillors — despite spending the bulk of a £19.9million wall repairs scheme around the district.
The Government funding allows an ambitious scheme repairing retaining walls across Saddleworth and other parts of the borough to go ahead.
But with some of the repair schemes taking as long as 22 weeks and the whole programme having to be completed in the next two and a half years a trio of local councillors — Derek Heffernan, Mike Buckley and Alan Roughley — are far from happy and fear problems ahead.
Councillor Heffernan said: “Central government’s insistence the money must be spent in a relatively short period will cause problems and reflects London’s ivory tower attitude to what happens in the real world.”
Several miles of dry stone walls are to be repaired or replaced in what is believed to be the largest repair job in the last 100 years.
In some cases, walls have to be strong enough to stop vehicles plunging over dangerous drops. In others, they have to prevent road foundations spreading, or hold up fields at higher levels than roads.
More than 30 of the 43 schemes are concentrated in the northern part of Saddleworth — Austerlands, Scouthead, Denshaw, Delph, Dobcross and Diggle.
Heritage champion, Councillor Buckley, said: “If not sensitively handled, the appearance of these walls could adversely alter the character of the district for the next 100 years.
“They should be traditional dry stone walling whenever possible, hopefully carried out by the fine craftsmen who live in Saddleworth.
“Where they have to be reinforced, the outward appearance should be as close to the traditional dry stone wall as possible.”
Councillor Roughley said: “Almost all these schemes require lengthy road closures. We will be closely monitoring to ensure repair schemes are not clustered, resulting in lengthy diversions.
“Wherever possible, jobs will be split into sections to minimise the time any one stretch of road will be closed.Let’s be plain, this is not how Oldham Council would choose to carry out such a scheme.
Oldham Council has vowed to keep disruption to the minimum and Councillor Mark Alcock, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, said: “The condition of retaining walls is becoming a pressing issue across the borough and without necessary and urgent repairs they would represent a clear and increasing danger.”
Comments
Awaiting, this wouldnt happen if we were in yorkshire malarky!
Wait for them, they should be coming along shortly.....
Just no pleasing some people. If the work took 10 years they would be moaning it is taking to long. Get the work done asap or the Tories will take the cash away and the walls will all fall down.
We already know who will be queing up to slam us with their anti saddleworth views.
No wonder it takes so long... 1 man working, 3 men watching.
Hang on who do these three numpties think is running the council - it's their party of course. Instead of opposing this much needed investment in Saddleworth they should be working with THEIR council colleagues to make sure the job is done properly.
Perhaps they've just woken up from a long hibernation and have got confused. Perhaps they think the Lib Dems will be turfed out on May 6th and they are getting their practice in for opposition early.
Taxi for three confused and bewildered Cllrs!
Come on "Oldham Man" lets have it then.. I think the proles are probably working out how much lambrini / lager (delete as appropriate)they can afford from the rest of their benefits (on their fingers of course) to get off their heads before going out for a fight on Yorkshire Street later to be reading about the mural woes of the good people of Saddleworth!!
£19.9 million. Gosh, Imagine how many prisons you could build in Chadderton for that.
And what would Roughly, Buckley and Heffernan be saying if the work wasn't being done? These people don't want solutions; only things to moan about.
(Mind you Buckleys's so keen on "heritage" he'd probably be happy if it the roads deteriorated enough to put us back to the age of the pack horse)
Oh dear Mainstander - Saddleworth is in Yorkshire, FACT.
That's strange "Get It Right" last time I checked a council tax bill in Saddleworth it had Oldham Council printed on it, and I'm not old enough to remember the borders being changed.
If only the council put half the amount of effort and money on retaining the roads in Saddleworth never mind the walls, the pot holes along, well, even the main Huddersfield road in Diggle, it does ordinary cars no good (and no I don't have a giant 4x4 like a farmer!) It's pathetic when we pay such high taxes.
Have Your Say
Coming soon to this site, the anti-Saddleworth brigade!!
By The Watcher @ 26/02/2010 13:36:13