Tree works go ahead in St George's Road

Work to reduce the height of trees in St George's Road Swanley went ahead today as promised (see post of 24 February). The work, paid for from my Member Highway Fund, is reducing the tree height by a third.

There was some anxiety and uncertainty about the works this morning since the note from Kent Highways to residents spoke of reducing the trees to a "manageable hedge". As a resident pointed out to me, this sounded more drastic than a one-third reduction. The option of a bigger reduction - of a half - to more of a hedge size was considered last summer but turned down when it became clear that this was bigger than most residents wanted. 

However, following some calls to Kent Highways and popping up to the site (see picture) to talk to the contractors, I confirmed that the reduction being carried out today was, as agreed, one third. Encouragingly, Kent Highways believe that they can sustain this through a scheme of management - hence the reference in the letter to residents. 

Protecting Broom Hill

I have been involved on a number of occasions with the long-running battle over the future of the Broom Hill site, and its impact on local people in Beechenlea Lane, London Road and other parts of Swanley. The site was taken out of Green Belt two decades ago for employment land, but so far attempts to intensify development on the site, and in particular to add significant residential development have been resisted.

Sevenoaks District Council did consider mixed use development for the site at the time of the council"s Supplementary Sites Allocation consultation last year. Many residents and local representatives (including me) wrote to the council at that time setting out the arguments against residential development, and the council concluded last autumn that the site should combine existing employment use with protected open space. Since the council's conclusions will not be formally established until later this year, the four applications for a variety of mixed use options brought forward by the developer ProVision look like an attempt to get planning permission before the policy is fully established.

I attended a meeting of Swanley Town Council, at which many local residents set out their concerns, on 7 February, and have since written to Sevenoaks to set out my reasons for opposing the schemes. Local residents are right to be concerned about the proposals, since they would encroach on one of the few remaining large open spaces in Swanley and increase traffic pressures in an already congested area. You can find my letter to the council here. 

Tree trimming in St George's Road due to start this week

Residents of St George's Road have been concerned about the scale of leaf fall from the row of trees in front of their homes, which causes a number of drainage problems. At the same time, the trees provide a screen from the London Road, so residents would certainly not like to see them cut down.

Before ...

Following a site visit last year, and several stages of consultation with residents, we agreed that the top third would be taken off the trees. This will be paid for from my Member Highway Fund and work is scheduled to begin this coming Wednesday, 27 February, lasting until the following Tuesday.  Other measures such as drain cleansing have also been taken.

... and after

Meanwhile, residents and local councillors have wanted to see a replacement for another tree which stands in front of the houses in St George's work but which died last year. A replacement, also paid for from my Member Highway Fund, has now been planted.

Stones Cross Road resurfacing in coming weeks

I have worked with Crockenhill Parish Council for Stones Cross Road to be a beneficiary of the £6 million that Kent Highways has set aside for resurfacing this year, and our bid was successful (post of 6 November last year).

As the photo taken today demonstrates, Kent Highways are already out in Stones Cross Road carrying out important patching-up repairs (including tackling erosion of the banks near the Parish Council offices) in advance of the main resurfacing work. This is due to take place in mid-March.

Action on road issues in Well Hill

In previous posts (on 24 August and 5 December last year) I have highlighted a number of road issues in Well Hill that I have been examining along with Highways officers. We should now see progress in tackling them.

Firstly, the area around the dip in the road in Well Hill (between the junctions with Firmingers Road and Parkgate Road) has been suffering from drainage problems and from potholes. The drainage problem will be addressed through cleaning out of the gully and of the gripways (essentially channels cut across the ground to help the water run off). The potholes will be repaired and further improvements made to the surface in the dip. All this will require a road closure; we do not yet have the date.

Secondly, there will also be a one day road closure on 25 March in Firmingers Road to cleanse a soakaway and tackle the severe flooding problems by the Nursery.

Finally, Highways officers have carried out a further examination of the long-standing water runoff problems on Rock Hill. Officers are now proposing to install a French drain (which is relatively wide and porous, to capture water coming from springs, which can and do move) towards the top of the hill. Further down the hill on the Bromley border side there is a problem with the drainage itself, which will be addressed by cleansing the drain.   

Go ahead for Crockenhill road safety plans

I have for some time been working with the Parish Council on plans to improve the safety of the junction between Cray Road, Main Road and Broadway at the centre of the village (see post of 11 October). There have been many frustrations and stages at which we have had to go back to the drawing board, but we are now ready to go ahead.

Kent Highways officers drew up revised plans following a site meeting in October, and the Parish Council considered them at its meeting not long before Christmas. With a few final tweaks to the plans, we have got a shared plan of action. There will be improved signage in all directions approaching the crossing, with a particular focus on the Cray Road side (traffic approaching from the Orpington direction), which will have vehicle activated signs to warn of the approaching crossing and the need to slow down. There will also be use of granite setts and red high-friction surfacing. Signage will also be added to discourage HGVs from coming through the village, including putting a new sign in Wested Lane closer to the junction with London Road.

The project will be paid for from my Member Highway Fund and work should start soon. It has been a long wait, but hopefully the results should be good for the village.