Access Road Maintenance 2010

Andrew Haynes (3 Wall Street) and I have recently started to work on filling holes in the road with crushed hardcore. Andy and I wrote to the landowner (Guy Smith) about the bad condition of the road back in early 2010 as the track had deteriorated to a point where normal road cars were grounding due to excessive pot holes and dips.

Our chief concerns were our access rights were suffering as a result, the Royal Mail had threatened to stop deliveries to us, and increasingly delivery lorries are increasingly refusing to come down to us for fear of vehicle damage or damage to goods in the back of their vehicles while travelling over the rough track.

Despite our efforts, the landowner did not bother to reply in writing to me or Mr Haynes.

In years gone by, previous residents and workers in the area have told us (although of course these are unconfirmed rumours) that previously the landowner's father maintained the road each year, but over the last few years this regrettably ended. We were worried that access was getting difficult, and of course deterioration only gets worse - which would make it difficult to get emergency vehicles and deliveries to Lee-Over-Sands.

Rumours say that last year Jim Doran from the caravan site plot in Wall Street started to repair the road, but was allegedly stopped doing the work by Guy, who stated that instead he would supply material, labour and machinery, regrettably nothing happened afterwards.

With these concerns in mind - both for our individual and community access rights - our reasons for our letter was to send out a clear message by sending a copy of our first letter to Mr Smith about our intentions and sent copies to all residents. We expected a reasonable and fair written response which we would have publised to all residents of Lee-Over-Sands - but months later, nothing... No action!

Whilst some residents with 4x4 and larger vehicles seem unbothered and enjoy the additional isolative barrier the road generates - the important thing to remember here is that the feelings of one or two indivuals should not conflict - as legally as individual homeowners, each home has rights - so the views of some cannot restrict the rights of others to unihindered access.

Our main concerns though over and above individual access rights are that of concern for our neighbours - given that we have older residents in Wall Street - emergency vehicle access and response time - is critical with heart disease - and the last thing we want is for the landowner/s or other dissenting residents to be directly responsible for a death down our road if an ambulance could not get here in time.

To be honest we really don't care about the politics - we just care how it is affecting our lives - which of course is basically stopping family members and friends visiting us for fear of damage to their cars etc.

As residents we all have individual access rights - we are home owners. Our properties' deeds state we can widen the road at any time, and to do this, obviously repair work needs to be done first to stop the winter freeze-thaw and structural differences in materials on the surface producing any more holes and dips and make the surface stable. Water pooling is the enemy here, so we are doing all we can to remedy the situation now before it gets so bad the landowner starts getting consequential vehicular damage claims from all of us!

Materials & Labour Cost
Andy and I decided to minimise costs by trying to do the work ourselves. This is on a voluntary basis, and we expect all users of the road to help in some way, however little or much they can help will be gratefully received, whether you rent or own a property in our hamlet - if you go up and down the track its only fair you should contribute.

Andy is paying for the fuel in his digger and tipper truck, with he & I doing shovelling when required to level more accurately.

Labour is on a voluntary basis - please help if you can and contact Derek & Andy to arrange a date to help. Or call round to see us at the end of Wall Street to pledge/provide financial donations to materials.

Alternatively if you don't trust us with your funds, you can order crushed hardcore yourself, or pay to have it delivered to us, and we will be pleased to put it onto the road!

Road Maintenance Contributions:
Andrew 7/6/2010   - £91 - 10 Tons of crushed hardcore
Derek:   11/6/2010 - £182 - 20 Tons of crushed hardcore
Mrs Haynes 14 & 15/6/2010 - £500 - 60 Tons of crushed hardcore

UPDATE: 25/10/2010
Total amount of material used so far:
10 tons - Andrew Haynes
20 tons - Derek Foley
20 tons - Mrs Haynes
20 tons (yet to be used - outside Andrew's home) - Mrs Haynes
Leaving £136 from Mrs Haynes contribution outstanding.

Future Pledges from:
Gaie Foley (22 Beach Road - no relation)
Chris (Beach Road)
Derek Foley (2nd 20 Ton load later in the year)

Update: 2/7/2010
Stephen Sproat of Beach Road very kindly expressed an interest to contribute towards the road maintenance - to be confirmed.