Road closures coming up

There are an increasing number of local road closures reflecting highway repairs carried out by Kent County Council. Here are a few that are coming shortly:

Fackenden Lane (Shoreham) closed on 11 May for 1 day.

Bower Lane (Eynsford/ Shoreham) closed between Bower Farm and Westwood Ho on 12 May for 1 day.

Firmingers Road (Well Hill, Shoreham Parish) - closed at the junction with Well Hill on 1 June for 1 day between 0900 and 1600.

For other reasons, Rock Hill (Well Hill, Shoreham Parish) will be closed outside Rock Cottage on 24 May for 2 days - this is for KCC drainage works.

For Shoreham residents, it's also important to note that later in the month, and for other reasons, there will be a longer closure. Station Road will be closed at the junction with the A225 for 9 days from 27 May; this, however, is for works by UK Power Networks.

Well Hill broadband installed

As I have written in previous posts, KCC has been working to install superfast broadband in Well Hill via a Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) system. This would also have the benefit of addressing long-standing problems with poor quality telephone lines in parts of Well Hill. After many delays and disappointments, the system has been installed by BT Openreach and is now live, with residents able to place orders for the service. You can find the link to the Openreach FTTP providers here.

Regrettably, difficulties in securing a wayleave have affected access for a small number of properties, and work is under way to seek to resolve this issue. Overall, however, this represents a welcome resolution of a very long-standing issue for Well Hill residents.  

Well Hill broadband: progress at last

Well Hill's broadband (and telephone) problems have been continuing for a number of years, and I have written about them on this blog before.

On Tuesday evening, KCC officer George Chandler and I attended a meeting in Well Hill. We were able to present the good news that Well Hill is at the front of projects for spending gainshare (the funds released from BT following higher than expected take-up of superfast broadband, and ploughed back into the BT/BDUK/KCC broadband contract). Government policy is now to promote Fibre to the Premises broadband (as opposed to the previous focus on Fibre to the Cabinet) and the Well Hill project fits well with that.

 Progress should now be rapid over the coming weeks and months.

Well Hill: broadband latest

Well Hill has long suffered from severe problems with its broadband and (in some cases) telephone services. The area is served from a cabinet some distance away at Hewitt's roundabout; the copper wire connections from the cabinet to Well Hill properties are long and subject to interference from electrical supply sources (such as the National Grid) - what is known as Repetitive Electrical Impulse Noise (REIN). 

As a result, some telephone services (notably those in Pump Lane and parts of Well Hill) are very poor, and - even though the Hewitt's roundabout cabinet was fibre enabled by a private provider some time ago - broadband services are very variable, ranging from the minimal to the sub-superfast and with poor reliability.

KCC has long been seeking to tackle the problem as part of the overall BDUK project to raise superfast broadband coverage across the County, now in its second phase. In the spring of last year, there appeared to be a solution in sight. A new cabinet would be installed at the bottom of Rock Hill, supplanting that in Hewitt's roundabout, and it was anticipated that this would be installed this autumn. However, the scheme (along, I understand, with other similar schemes across the country) fell foul of an Ofcom objection on competition grounds (since the services installed by the private provider at Hewitt's roundabout would be supplanted by a state aided alternative, even though Well Hill residents do not receive superfast broadband from it and remain subject in many cases to an unacceptably poor telephone service).

This has naturally caused great concern among residents, and George Chandler (KCC's project manager leading the BDUK initiative) and I attended a public meeting in the Mission Church on Monday evening. Happily, however, we were able to tell residents that an alternative approach, relying on Fibre to the Premises technology from the new cabinet, has been agreed in principle. 

The aim is to roll this out as fast as possible, though even this will take many months. The new approach is still subject to risks; extensive tree works needed to accommodate the fibre cables could push up costs to an unacceptable level, and it is possible that there could be further regulatory problems, though the scheme is very different from its predecessor. Nonetheless, this looks to be a major step back on track, and George is taking the project forward vigorously. He and I will make sure that Well Hill residents are kept closely informed as to the next developments.

New date for Rock Hill works

In my previous post on further drainage works to be undertaken on the Bromley-facing side of Rock Hill, I gave a date of 26 August for them to be undertaken.

Driving through Well Hill shortly afterwards, I noticed that the works had not taken place and made enquiries as to what had happened. It appears that the contractor was overloaded with other commitments and was unable to do those works on the day agreed.

Working with a new contractor, Kent Highways has agreed a new date of 22nd of September. Hopefully this should see a resolution of this long-running issue.

Rock Hill: new channel next week

When last year's works were carried out to tackle the problem of water running down the Bromley-facing side of Rock Hill, the installation of a French drain at the top of the hill was successful in dealing with the problem in that immediate area. However, once the water got beyond  the intersection with Well Hill, it emerged from the so-called bubble gulley (which took the water under Well Hill) to run down the rest of the hill, crossing towards the former Rock and Fountain pub. This was both a problem for residents and made it likely that, come winter, the familiar problem of a slippery surface on this steep hill would recur.

A Kent Highways drainage specialist and I visited the site earlier on the summer to discuss the issue and possible solutions with a local resident. We agreed that, while installing additional drainage would be prohibitively expensive and quite possibly ineffective, it made sense to install channels on the Well Hill/ Pump Lane side to prevent the water from flowing across to the other side of the road.

The works have now been confirmed for 26 August, the day after the Bank Holiday. 70 metres of channel blocks will be laid from the gulley downwards. I understand that this will require a road closure, which will mean significant diversions.

Well Hill: filling in the potholes

Since I provided a number of updates on the abortive efforts to fill in the potholes in Well Hill, I am probably a bit behind myself in not having recorded the latest position.

The especially deep potholes in the part of Well Hill between the junctions with Firmingers Road and Parkgate Road were filled in some weeks ago. Potholes in the remaining parts of the road have been marked up by Kent Highways and the works are due to take place in the latter part of next week. This will require nothing more drastic than a diversion via Firmingers Road and so hopefully should go smoothly.

Well Hill: what happened last week

Last week I posted an article (12 May) anticipating that pothole repairs would be carried out in Well Hill. A road closure was arranged for the section of the road south of the junction with Firmingers Road.

However, when Kent Highways staff started to close the road on Wednesday morning (14 May) they encountered considerable hostility from some drivers and ultimately withdrew from the scene. Quite apart from being shocking behaviour towards the staff, this has meant that the potholes - some of them very deep - remain.

I understand that a closure will be undertaken once more during the week commencing 2 June. This time it will be more comprehensive, covering the entire length of the road. There is considerable justification for this, since the deepest potholes are to the north of the Firmingers Road junction, though this will inevitably mean a much more extensive diversion. 

In the meantime, there will be interim patching of the potholes before the weekend.

Well Hill closure update

Further to my post last Thursday, Well Hill has indeed been closed today for pothole repairs. The details of how this will work are now rather clearer than they were at the end of last week.

The closure will be for today and tomorrow, between 0930 and 1530. It will only affect the road between the junction with Rock Hill and that with Firmingers Road, so the latter can serve as a diversion.

Some of the biggest potholes are in fact in the section heading north from the Firmingers Road junction towards Parkgate Road. However, Kent Highways have told me that they are able to work on this section without a closure, so this too should be completed today or tomorrow. It is possible that these latter works may need revisiting later in the year, but they should be good for some time.

Well Hill closed for pothole repairs on Monday

A couple of weeks ago, I reported to the AGM of the Well Hill Residents' Association. I didn't get to deliver the report in person because of long traffic delays on the M20 after the closure of the M26 as a result of a fatal accident. The report has, however, since been circulated to residents.

In this I stated that the potholes in Well Hill were due to be fixed in May. This would inevitably require a road closure. Kent Highways have now confirmed that the road will be closed next Monday, May 12, for the works to be carried out.

The email announcing this was a little unclear, since it is stated on the one side that the road would be closed in its entirety, yet also suggested Firmingers Road as a detour. I have raised a query about this and will update this post when I get clarification. The very worst potholes (picture) are in the section of the road between Firmingers Road and Parkgate Road, so it may be that the section closer to Rock Hill will be left open.

Jobs done

Drainage works on Rock Hill (see post of 5 July) are now complete, and I have had compliments from residents for the efforts of Kent Highways to minimise disruption while the quite lengthy task was being undertaken. Hopefully we will see the full benefits in the next and subsequent winters.

Meanwhile, I am also informed that Crabtree Property Management have now fixed the prolonged leakage near Millstone Mews (post of 17 June). Thanks are due in this case too to Kent Highways staff for their great determination in following this up and pushing for a resolution. It took a very long time, but it appears that we are finally there.

Rock Hill works under way

The works to tackle drainage problems on Rock Hill in Well Hill (see posts of 23 February and 13 June) began on Monday.

In one respect, my earlier post was over-optimistic in suggesting that the works would take only a day or two rather than the allotted two weeks. However, I understand from Highways staff that so far all is going smoothly and that completion should be within the scheduled time. I had been in contact with some local residents in the days before work started to try to ensure as good a start as possible.

Hopefully, the combination of the French drain and cleansing of the system will make a significant difference for winters to come.

Councillor Jenny Dibsdall

It is with great sadness that I add a post to record the death of Jenny Dibsdall, Sevenoaks District Councillor for Crockenhill and Well Hill.

Jenny's husband, Colin, was for many years both District and Parish Councillor in Crockenhill, and the community leader for the village. Although he had quietly coped with lymphoma for some years, Colin's death in November 2011 was sudden. Like many others, I will not quickly forget Jenny's speech, both funny and affecting, about her life with Colin at the reception in the village hall after the funeral.

In the subsequent by-election, Jenny stood as the Labour candidate and won. She too proved to be an effective and hard-working councillor, committed to both communities that she represented. As with Colin (who was a Liberal Democrat and subsequently independent Councillor), I found that the difference in our party labels made no difference to our ability to work together. One of our last conversations was when we were both delivering leaflets for our respective 'sides' in the recent County Council elections.

In recent months, Jenny was gravely ill but she maintained her work and her service to the communities she represented. The communities of Crockenhill and Well Hill have suffered a severe loss. Above all, our thoughts must now be with the Dibsdall family, who have suffered two major bereavements in little over eighteen months.

Rock Hill works at the start of July

Works to tackle the long-standing problems of water runoff on Rock Hill - by installing a French drain towards the top of the hill and cleansing the drainage system further down the hill on the Bromley-facing side - are due to start on 1 July.

This will require a road closure from the intersection with Pump Lane up to the top of the hill. The Kent Highways notice states that the closure can be for up to 14 days, though in practice it is likely to be only for a day or so.

I set out these plans in earlier posts (23 February) and indicated the probable timing likely when I spoke at the Well Hill Residents Association AGM earlier this year. I have sought through the Residents' Association to have the plans sent out so that any concerns over the works can be raised and addressed. Anyone who is still concerned should contact me since there are still a couple of weeks to go before the works start.

The other significant road works in Well Hill - tackling the potholes and drainage problems in Well Hill, in the dip between the Parkgate Road and Firmingers Road junctions - took place some weeks ago (post of 20 May).

Redmans Lane fly-tipping: case due in May

Fly-tipping remains a serious problem on many of Darent Valley's relatively remote country roads, and Redmans Lane has suffered more than most.

Two men are due to appear for a first hearing at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court on 14 May. They are charged with fly-tipping offences in Redmans Lane, as well as Chelsfield Lane, a site in Sundridge and a number of sites in the London Borough of Bromley.

The bringing of these charges follows extensive cooperation between Kent County Council and Bromley Borough Council.

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.   

Snow arrives, and with it problems on Rock Hill

With the first snowfall of winter, I have had calls from local residents about problems on Rock Hill in Well Hill. The road is treated as a secondary route in Kent Highways Winter Service Plan, which means that it is treated in periods of prolonged winter weather. Secondary routes were gritted on Monday night, and following a call to KHS I was able to confirm that gritters were going out on secondary routes this lunchtime. I understand that the gritter broke down on Rock Hill but that the work should be completed shortly.

There are particular problems on the side of the hill facing towards Bromley because of water runoff - something that we are once more working to resolve (see post of 24 August). In addition, at some points in the past, the Bromley side of the hill was missed off the gritting route, even though those who live there are still Kent residents and council tax payers. This is a point that I have taken up with KHS in the past, and they have confirmed that both sides of the hill are on the route.

However, today's problems were on the Shoreham as well as the Bromley-facing side of the hill. The arrival of the gritter should resolve the problems for new, but I will keep in contact with local residents to monitor problems and see if a Plan B is needed for this high and steep road.

Tackling highways issues in Well Hill

Accompanied by an officer from Kent Highways, I met representatives from Well Hill Residents' Association to investigate the continuing problems on Rock Hill. Water flowing down the hill in the Bromley direction can quickly turn icy when it gets cold, making this steep hill treacherous.

Last year I asked a highways engineer to examine the problem and he asked Thames Water to carry out works on their pipes. However, that does not seem to have fixed the problem and so at my request Kent Highways are looking at the problem again.

While we were there, the Kent Highways officer and I also looked at drainage problems in Well Hill, in the dip in the road between Firmingers Road and Parkgate Road.

I hope to have further updates on both issues soon.