Wailing greets walls project

Men at work . . . Huddersfield Road, Diggle

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.”