PWE closure ends, Cotmans Ash Lane closure delayed

Reinstatement works for the emergency water pipe repairs carried out by South East Water in Pilgrims Way East have been completed today. A Kent Highways Streetworks Inspector visited the site earlier in the afternoon and reported that the traffic management items (signage etc) were being collected and the road being used.

The PWE emergency closure has meant that the closure of Cotmans Ash Lane (for BT works) scheduled for the last three days of this week has not taken place and is not doing so. A new date for these works will be published once it has been confirmed.

Gateway signs for Badgers Mount

An important part of the safety measures proposed for Badgers Mount following a fatal accident in 2012 has been the installation of gateway signs in the Orpington by-pass and Old London Road. This finally took place earlier this month, paid for from my Combined Member Fund.

Much of the safety plan has now been delivered, such as the reduced speed limit on the Orpington by-pass. There are still elements to be followed up, notably the proposal for a footpath alongside the Orpington by-pass which has still to secure Local Transport Plan funding. And residents will quite righty be concerned by those who do not follow the new, lower speed limits. 

Nonetheless, this is a welcome step forward.

Works in progress

A number of projects are now being taken forward in different parts of Darent Valley.

As mentioned before (post of 21 October), safety measures were due to be installed on the A225 Dartford Road, on the Farningham-Horton Kirby border. New signage is now in place. Road markings have still to be refreshed, but this should be carried out shortly, with a comprehensive programme from the Farningham Road Station bridge to the junction with the A20.

Secondly, the reduction in the speed limit on the Orpington by-pass in Badgers Mount has met no objections, and so will not even need to be considered (though it may be noted) at Wednesday's meeting of the Sevenoaks Joint Transportation Board. An order has been sealed for early in the New Year, and speed limit signs should be brought forward around the same time. Works are starting on the traffic island and short section of footway in Old London Road, though I understand that there have been concerns expressed by some local residents as to the degree to which they were consulted and the impact of the measures on them. I will pick up this issue.

Finally, new salt bins, paid for from my Member Highway Fund, have been installed in New Road, South Darenth (near The Queen pub) and on the corner of West View Road and Southview Close in Swanley. More are on the way, once we have sorted out the precise best location.

Seismic exploration: update

In February this year, I liaised between parish councils and KCC concerning the seismic exploration work being carried out in Darent Valley by Tesla Exploration on behalf of Northdown Energy (post of 9 March). Initial contact had been made with KCC (as well as Bromley Borough Council) in January.

This project was treated as permitted development rather than something that required planning permission, since Northdown already has a Petroleum Exploration and Development License (PEDL) from the Department of Energy and Climate Change that covers a large part of the Sevenoaks area (you can see a map here. To challenge this and force an application for planning permission, Kent County Council would have had to issue a so-called Article 7 Direction, which there were no good grounds to do.

The survey work, which essentially involved lorries travelling around the area and undertaking a two-dimensional (2D) seismic survey (through emission of vibrations) took place in May. The areas of Darent Valley covered were Badgers Mount and the Lullingstone part of Eynsford; Shoreham was on the original route but this was not carried out because of the narrowness of the roads and the possible impact on utilities.

I recently made some enquiries as to the outcomes of the survey. I understand that specialists at Northdown are still looking at the data, and that this is likely to be a lengthy process, matching the findings with geological and other information from the area. At present, there are no plans to undertake further exploration and, if this did take place, KCC would be notified. Were the eventual findings to indicate that there were exploitable hydrocarbons, then the next stage – probably drilling an exploratory borehole – would require planning permission, including extensive assessments of environmental and other impacts.

I will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates if and when there is new information.

Badgers Mount: latest on road safety measures

Following earlier posts on the details of the Badgers Mount road safety measures (post of 25 April), some of the proposals are now being brought forward.

• The speed limit reduction to 50 mph on a large part of the Orpington by-pass has now been agreed with the police. The very first part of the by-pass coming from Hewitts roundabout will remain at national speed limit. However, from near the telephone mast some 230 metres north west of Badgers Road, the limit will come down to 50 mph. It will remain the same all the way to Polhill; in other words, the speed limit will not increase again after the Shacklands Road roundabout
• There is a small chance that this can be put forward and approved at the September Joint Transportation Board. However, if there are a material number of objections, then it will have to go in December, which at present looks the more likely option
• The only slightly negative news concerns the island proposed for Orpington by-pass; it is now apparent that this will require some road widening. This is now the subject of a bid within next year's Local Transport Plan, along with the footpath proposals along the eastern side of the by-pass towards the Shacklands Road roundabout
• Designs are being drawn up for an island to link with path SR8 on Old London Road. One consequence of this will be to lose a small section of cycle lane. Officers are also out examining that this will not block access to any houses facing on to the road
• Also in Old London Road, speed limit roundels will be painted in shortly in 12 or 13 places along the road aligned with repeater signs. There will also be a red patch in the road to indicate the start of the speed limit at the Shacklands Road roundabout end. It is hoped that there will be a similar patch painted in at the other end of the road - beyond the boundaries of Badgers Mount and of my Division - but since this is where the road meets the A21, it would have to be dovetailed with any works carried out there by the Highways Agency

Other measures (particularly those paid for from my Member Highway Fund) are being brought forward. I will provide an update on these in a further post as soon as possible.

Badgers Mount: road safety plans

Last autumn, following long-standing speeding problems on the Orpington by-pass and the Old London Road and a fatal accident in which a long-standing local resident was killed, the Badgers Mount Residents Association (BMRA) brought forward a set of well-researched proposals for enhancing road safety (post of 29 September).

Taking this forward has involved speed checks, discussions with BMRA and a Kent Highways officer as well as consultations with the police, who will have to enforce any changes to speed limits. The picture as to what can be taken forward is now quite a lot clearer, and we should be able to implement a lot of the proposals:




Orpington by-pass

• Speed limits. The BMRA proposed a reduction in the speed limit on the Orpington by-pass from the current 60mph to 40mph. Following speed checks, Kent Police made clear that they could not support this proposal, but that they were prepared to support a reduction to 50mph on part of the road. The exact scope of this has still to be clarified, but the introduction of a lower speed limit makes possible a number of other measures.
• Supporting signage for speed limit reduction. This will comprise signs and roundels in the road highlighting the 50mph limit. It will be funded from a Kent Highways 'pot' of crash remedial measures of £22,500 set aside for Badgers Mount.
• Extra traffic island(s). This will be installed a little to the north of the junction with Highland Road to link up with public footpath SR8 and will be funded from crash remedial measures. Once the speed limit reduction is brought in, there will be scope to look at moving one of the traffic islands in the more northerly section of the Orpington by-pass by the Badgers Road junction or adding a new island.
• Junction signs and pedestrian crossing signs in the Badgers Road/ Fox's garage area. These will also be funded from crash remedial measures. 
• Footpath alongside the Orpington by-pass. This would run along the eastern side of the road, which is currently poorly served, all the way from Badgers Road to the Polhill roundabout. A bid has been put in for funding from another Highways pot, the Local Transport Plan (LTP), for the financial year 2014-15. We will know in early 2014 if the bid has been successful. 
• Other traffic calming measures. The Kent Safety Camera Partnership has been approached concerning a mobile camera site, though this is still being followed up. A flashing speed indicator is also a possibility; this would require financing from my Member Highway Fund.
• Timber gateway signs. This was a proposal by KCC. These signs, to highlight to motorists that they are coming into a residential area, could also be paid for from my Member Highway Fund.
• Mini-roundabout near Badgers Road junction.  This would be much more expensive than the other options and so harder to deliver. We will, however, bid for funding for a study into the feasibility and cost of the scheme.

Old London Road

• Speed roundels. On the Old London Road, the speed limit is already 40mph, although the speed checks demonstrated that there is a significant problem of ensuring that this limit is respected. Speed roundels to remind motorists of the limit can be implemented quickly and paid for from the crash remedial measures.
• Extra traffic islands. BMRA proposed an extra island to complete the links with SR8, plus two each by the junctions with Badgers Rise and Crest Close. The first (SR8) will certainly be installed; for the others, at least one island can be installed at each location, and perhaps two, depending on cost and an assessment of whether two islands rather than one are needed in each location.
• Timber gateways. As on the Orpington by-pass, this could be paid for from my Member Highway Fund.
• Other traffic calming measures. As on the Orpington by-pass, an approach has been made to the Kent Safety Camera Partnership about a mobile camera site, while a flashing speed indicator looks desirable and would be a call on my Member Highway Fund.

Overall, therefore, while not everything in the BMRA report can be delivered, a great deal can and this should make a major difference to safety and the quality of life of local residents. Some measures may take longer to implement than the current financial year because of the variety of calls on, for example, my Member Highway Fund; however, many measures can be brought in quickly, in particular those related to signage. In particular, once we have full clarity from Kent Police regarding the area of the Orpington by-pass covered by the reduction in speed limit to 50 mph, it should be possible to make rapid progress.

Safety appeal for Badgers Mount

I met members of Badgers Mount Residents Association today to receive an appeal for safety measures on the Orpington by-pass and Old London Road. Both roads have had speeding problems for some time and, although some measures have been taken (such as the pedestrian island near the turning to the Memorial Hall, installed some years ago) the problems have not abated. In July there was a shocking accident on the Orpington by-pass when a long-standing resident, Mr Peter Howlett, was killed, and there have also been severe incidents on Old London Road.

The BMRA has come up with a thoroughly researched set of proposals for both roads, involving speed limit changes, further traffic islands and other measures. I will now present this report to Kent Highways and begin a discussion with them on what can and should be done, while continuing to work with BMRA. With central funding tight at present, my Member Highway Fund may be one way of securing improvements.

Minerals and Waste: Badgers Mount sites NOT allocated

For a year, Badgers Mount residents have fought against two proposals submitted by developers as part of the 'call for sites' for the Kent Minerals and Waste Development Framework: an aggregates recycling centre on the former Chelsfield Ammunition Depot (owned by FM Conway) and a 'waste recycling facility' - aka an incinerator - near Hewitt's Roundabout at the other end of the Orpington by-pass.

Both plans were a serious threat to the way of life of Badgers Mount community. I worked closely with the Badgers Mount Residents Association to oppose these plans - making the case to KCC officers and Members, and speaking for the community at a related planning inquiry.