Local libraries reopen next week

Libraries in Sevenoaks District will be reopening in the next week. 

Kent County Council confirmed at the time of the relaxation of national restrictions (19 July) a programme of reopening the 56 libraries that had closed during the pandemic and has remained closed up to that point (43 were already open). All bar one will reopen by 9 August; the exception is Marden Library, which has building works under way and which will reopen on 16 August.

Four of the larger libraries in Sevenoaks District are among those already open; the rest will open in the coming week, operating on their pre-Covid opening hours. For the three libraries in Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley, these are:

Kemsing

Sunday: Closed

Monday: 10.00am - 2.00pm

Tuesday: 10.00am - 1.00pm,  2.00pm - 5.00pm

Wednesday: 10.00am - 3.00pm

Thursday:  Closed

Friday: 1.00pm - 5.00pm

Saturday: 10.00am - 2.00pm

Otford

Sunday: Closed

Monday: 9.00am - 1.00pm

Tuesday: 9.00am - midday, 1.00pm - 5.00pm

Wednesday: Closed

Thursday: 9.00am - 1.00pm

Friday: 1.00pm - 5.00pm

Saturday: 10.00am - 2.00pm

Seal

Sunday: Closed

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 2.00pm - 5.00pm

Wednesday: Closed

Thursday: 10.00am - 1.00pm

Friday: 10.00am - 3.00pm

Saturday: 10.00am - 2.00pm

A225 night time closures start next week

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the A225 Shoreham Road will be closed at night (8PM to 6AM) for 14 nights excluding weekends starting next Tuesday (27 July). The closure, which is for Kent Highways to carry out road resurfacing, affects a long stretch of the A225 from Castle Road Lullingstone to Station Approach in Otford. 

I have been asked about access by residents to their homes. I have checked and the usual approach is being followed, which is that every effort will be made for residents to be able to get access, but there could be delays if (for example) you live in a side road and there is heavy machinery working directly at the entrance to your road. 

For roads such as Hillydeal Road and Greenhill Road, which have a horseshoe shape with two entrances, this is less likely to be a problem since the two entrances should not be worked on simultaneously. However, where there is a single access on to the A225 the possibility of delays is greater. 

Road closures affecting Seal, Kemsing and Otford

With the school summer holidays getting under way, there are a number of major road closures taking place that affect Seal, Kemsing and Otford, the more so since there is an unavoidable overlap. 

In Otford, there will be a rolling programme of works to deliver significant parts of the village highway improvements and associated closures starting from next Monday. These are (with associated permit numbers):

    26th July – 2rd August,  multi way lights Station Road, Shoreham Road & Pilgrims Way East.  Permit reference GE40190203817, for road markings, tactiles paving for crossing & kerbing works.

    2rd – 8th August, two way lights Station Road near to Beckets Place.  Permit  reference GE40190203818,  for  removal of road markings and verge installation.

     9th -  20th August, High Street, Otford closed between No.s  48 12.  Permit reference GE40190203820, for construction of new raised zebra crossing.

     9th – 20th August, High Street, Otford between No.s 53 – 69, 2 way traffic lights. Permit reference GE40190203819, for road markings, sign installation, build outs for traffic calming.

   20th -28th August works around Otford Pond, Station Road, Sevenoaks Road & High Street, multi way lights / stop and go (not at the same time). Permit reference GE40190203823, for road markings, bollard and planter installation, crossing upgrade, vegetation.

Meanwhile, UKPN works to install a low voltage cable will start in School Lane, Seal. This will require traffic lights from 26 July to 1 August, and the road will then be closed between the A25 and Childsbridge Lane starting from Monday 2 August for 18 days (ie until 20 August). Works will also be carried out by South East Water during the first week of the closure.

The full closure will have the effect of preventing vehicles going north off the A25 through Seal towards Kemsing. The recommended diversion route is west along the A25, north on the A225 and then through Pilgrims Way East and Pilgrims Way to Childsbridge Lane. The southbound route on Childsbridge Lane to the A25 is unaffected by these scheduled works. 

The coincidence of these works over a period of up to 18 days, and the impact of traffic diverting through the A225 and Pilgrims Way East have been a cause for concern and I have taken these issues up with Kent Highways. However, the works in question are either the delivery of a long developed scheme aimed to deliver benefits to Otford and its residents, or clearly essential works for UKPN to carry out. And both would cause much greater havoc in term time. 

Kent Highways considered alternative diversion routes, and are certainly very aware of the problems of diverting traffic through parts of Otford affected by the works, but concluded that this was nonetheless the least damaging option. However, a recommended diversion route is just that: there is nothing to stop those with local knowledge choosing another route. 

To reduce disruption and improve traffic flow, the traffic lights on School Lane (week of 26 July - 1 August) will be manually controlled at peak times (0730 to 0930 and 1530 to 1900). Similarly, the lights at the Shoreham Road/ Pilgrims Way East junction will only operate when staff are on site, and they will be manually controlled if needed. 

It is also worth noting that there will be some overlap with yet further works, albeit night time works only, on the A225 Shoreham Road for 14 nights starting 27 July. This is for road resurfacing and will require closures (2200 to 0600) from Castle Road Lullingstone to Station Approach in Otford. This will require a major diversion by any traffic using the route at that time but will not, however, affect traffic during the day.

Swanley Village road works

Early August (next week) will see road closures affecting Swanley Village. However, the details of how these will operate have changed (and for the better).

Thames Water is undertaking works that require a closure in Highlands Hill (original proposed dates 2-5 August). 

 

At around the same time, Network Rail are closing Beechenlea Lane for the first stage of major works to replace the bridge over the railway line. Much of the work is scheduled for later in the year, but with the aim of getting as much done during the school holidays as possible, the first closure will be on 2-3 August. 

 

It is clearly undesirable to have simultaneous closures, but the need to make progress (and, in the case of Thames Water, to carry out the works in full) during the school holidays, coupled with a lack of other available time slots for Thames Water to get their works done, has resulted in this clash. This, coupled with the closure of Beechenlea Lane, has meant that, while the recommended diversion route for the Network Rail route has been Button Street, that for the Thames Water works on Highlands Hill starts with School Lane, also undesirable on account of its narrowness. Nonetheless, this gives one diversion route at each end of Swanley Village Road.

 

To mitigate this problem, Kent Highways have secured agreement from Thames Water that they postpone the start of their works by one day until 3 August, cutting the overlap of the two sets of works to just one day. In addition, Button Street (then London Road, High Street, Swanley Lane) will be used as the diversion route, ending any need to use School Lane.

East Hill Road: new dates for road works

East Hill Road residents have today received a notification of the delayed Kent Highways road improvement works, billed as part of the 'pothole blitz', but also involving significant road surface patching. (There is an error in the heading of the note, indicating that it relates to 'Pedestrian barrier improvement works' - this is not the case). 

As before, I must declare my interest as an East Hill Road resident.

The works will now take place for five nights (between 8pm and 2am) between Monday 2 August and Friday 6 August. 

This will require a full road closure during those hours; however, as was the case during the earlier plans for the works (delayed by the need for South East Water to repair a water leak, now carried out) every effort will be made to give residents access and, as is the case with such closures, restrictions will not apply to emergency vehicles.

The aim remains to keep disruption to residents to a minimum and the end result should be some much-needed improvements to a road that is showing a lot of wear and tear.