End of the road??

Earlier in August, in a post about the Rock at Chiddingstone Hoath, I wrote about an impending local road closure which would preclude me making any lunchtime visits to the pub, for a period of up to 10 weeks.

Just over two weeks ago the closure came into effect, and since that time Chiddingstone Causeway, the village where I work, has been eerily quiet. Traffic on the normally busy B2027, has been reduced to a trickle, as motorists contend with a tortuous and narrow diversion route, and whilst some residents might welcome the peace and quiet, the loss of passing trade has been having a devastating effect on local businesses.

The Causeway Stores, which is the village shop and post office, has certainly seemed significantly less busy, and the same applies to the Little Brown Jug pub, just up the road. I walk past both establishments most lunchtimes, and the builders vans usually parked outside the shop, are conspicuous by their absence, as the tradesmen are forced to go elsewhere for their “made to order” sandwiches and rolls.

The pub car park, which is normally full to overflowing, has plenty of empty spaces, and the garden too seems empty and devoid of customers. I often call in at the Causeway Stores to pick up the milk for work, and where I would once have to queue in order to get served, I can now walk straight in.

Speaking to the local press, Jodie Hodge who owns the shop said her takings were down £3,000 a week and Gareth Nixon, the manager of the Little Brown Jug, said his custom was down by 50%.

Meanwhile residents of the small community of Bough Beech, a few miles further along the road, in the direction of Edenbridge, have been effectively cut off with no access to the shop, or the rail station, both at Chiddingstone Causeway, and with no bus service which has been cancelled due to the lengthy diversion.

Although the section of road that has been closed covers only a few hundred yards, the official diversion route, using similar B-class roads, is 35-miles long and takes over an hour to complete. Not surprisingly, locals have found a quicker route using narrow back roads, but anyone who has driven along these lanes will tell you they are totally unsuited for the increased volume of traffic. Several work colleagues have already experienced near misses, and the situation is likely to continue until the road reopens.

Yesterday, news broke that the water company responsible, has bowed to pressure and has announced it will lift the closure of the B2027 between Chiddingstone Causeway and Bough Beech, by the end of the week. The Sutton and East Surrey Water Company, are one of the UK's smaller water companies, covering parts of Surrey, Kent and south London. This ranges from Morden and South Croydon in the north to Gatwick Airport in the south and from Cobham, Leatherhead and Dorking in the west to Edenbridge in the east. 

SES, as they like to be known, supplies 160 million litres of clean water every day to over 735,000 people, with groundwater supplies providing the bulk of this water, plus around 15 per cent being extracted from the company’s reservoir at Bough Beech near Edenbridge.

In a statement yesterday, a spokesman for SES said, "We are a local company with a long history in the Bough Beech area and we always strive to be responsive and do what is right in providing our essential public service."

"We have not under-estimated the concern from local people and businesses about the closure of the B2027 in Chiddingstone. Over the last few days, we have been at the site and spent many hours investigating alternative ways to still allow this essential work to continue, but to do so in a way that reduces the impact on the community.”

"We have made good progress so far, having laid more than 200 metres of new pipes, but unfortunately it is not possible at the moment, due to the nature of the work needed in the road, to open one lane with traffic lights, which we recognise would be much less disruptive."

Make what you will of that, as whilst no one doubts that the water main needs replacing, the concerns of local residents and businesses seem to have been ignored, despite what SES claim in their statement.

The fact they have agreed to reopen the road, albeit on a temporary basis, has been down to a petition organised by a woman from Tonbridge, after she found herself unable to reach her mother who lives in Bough Beech, plus pressure from Sevenoaks District Council leader, Peter Fleming, and Tom Tugendhat, the MP for Tonbridge and Malling.

Concern remains though, that the road closure will be reinstated, unless SES can find a way to allow one lane to remain open, under the control of traffic lights. With the closure initially scheduled to last until October, the long-term picture is not looking good for those living and working locally.

Last week I took a wander down to where the work was taking place, to see what was going on, and in the usual grand tradition of the great British workman, not a lot was taking place. The photos speak for themselves, and my observations were also supported by staff from the Causeway Stores who, understandably remain concerned for the future of their business.

The final words come from Councillor Peter Fleming, who said, “As a council we do all we can to support businesses and we really feel for business owners in Chiddingstone Causeway who have been affected by these road closures."

"We have also been working with Kent Highways to see if in future they can influence utility companies’ ways of working with regards to road closures and diversions.”

The answer surely lies in that last sentence, as until faceless utility companies realise their responsibilities to the local community, includes minimising disruption to people and businesses within those communities, we are unfortunately likely to see more of this high-handed behaviour.