Crossing work at Telford junction not possible until next financial year

Hadley and Leegomery Parish Council says a crossing should be considered near the corner of Church Street and Pool Meadow, Hadley, Telford.

A report before members points out that Pool Meadow was one-way until 2015 but the junction layout hasn’t changed, and 15 planned new homes will increase traffic.

Telford and Wrekin Council highways officers say “a scheme has been identified and placed on hold until future funding is available”, but this will not happen in the current financial year.

In a report, parish council clerk Jonathan Brumwell says members instructed him to write to the borough council about a number of road safety concerns.

His request about the junction read: “There is currently a development for Wrekin Housing Trust on the site. The corner is set up for when the road was one-way, but has not been altered to accommodate vehicles now able to turn left off Church Street and onto Pool Meadow.

“The current layout forces vehicles into the middle of the road and drivers regularly pull into oncoming traffic when attempting to turn.

“The corner needs adapting to allow vehicles to turn left safely.

“Secondly, there is a busy route from Marlborough Road onto Pool Meadow for schoolchildren heading to and from Hadley Learning Community.

“With the extra vehicles the new development will bring, and taking into account that this is on a bend, I feel it would be wise to offer some form of crossing for pedestrians to use to cross safely.”

Timescales

Highways replied to Mr Brumwell’s request in July, saying: “I can confirm this has been put forward to be reviewed as part of the capital programme prioritisation process.

“We currently have a list of around 600 requests for similar schemes so have to prioritise accordingly.

“Having said that, if this is something the parish would like to fund, we can look to bring the review forward and look at initial options, but I am unable to commit any capital funding at this moment.

“With regards to the Church Street / Pool Meadow junction, we will look at this and discuss with the development management team to see if there are any schemes in the pipeline that will help with the concerns raised.”

A further reply was received in August, saying: “We can confirm a scheme has been identified and placed on hold until future funding is available.

“Unfortunately, this means the scheme will not be delivered this financial year.

“We are not able to confirm any timescales as to when funding may be available but please be assured it is recorded for future consideration.”

Members will discuss the report on Tuesday, September 4.