Bricknell Avenue road surfaces

John Fareham and John Abbott are continuing to work with local residents and officers to resolve issues with the state of Bricknell Avenue road surfaces. We have often drawn officers’ attention to potholes on Bricknell Avenue and to other surface irregularities which have caused vibration in neighbouring properties, and action has been taken on these. However, our attention has also been drawn to the level of HGV traffic on Bricknell Avenue in the early hours of the morning. This may be sufficient to produce movements in the subsoil basis which may cure themselves in time but which mean that one house may be affected and another not. We will, however, in the belief that the proximate cause of most vibrations is surface irregularities, continue to work with residents to have such flaws in the carriageway dealt with.

Bricknell Avenue central reservation

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to improve the protection of the Bricknell Avenue central reservation from motor vehicles mounting the verge and chewing up the grass. No sooner had we arranged for the reinstatement of these verges than new ruts appeared in the grass. We are therefore seeking to make arrangements to place more scenic rocks in the grass verge at the appropriate points so as to render the verge inaccessible to those taking, shall we say, too wide a line as they turn onto or off Fairfax Avenue. We will of course continue to look out for other instances of the odd stray wheel leaving its mark on grass verges and to seek to provide protection as appropriate. We have the funds, we already have the rocks, but it is fair to say some question the need for action!

Bricknell Avenue traffic vibration

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve recurring issues with traffic-related vibration issues affecting properties on Bricknell Avenue. We have been serving local residents since 1983 and in all that time we haven’t received as many complaints about this issue as we have been receiving of late. The pattern is consistent enough – all those complaining have said that the level of vibration constitutes a threat to the well-being of their homes – for us to have made representations to the officers asking that they account for the problem and present us with a solution that is viable in the long term. Given the amount of excavation that has happened in recent years on Bricknell Avenue, what with the BSF project at Kelvin and all the cable-laying, we feel that there is a case to answer in respect of these works having something to do with it and we will pursue the matter until we get a result.

Latest on service 110 buses

John Fareham and John Abbott report that Wyke Area Committee have deferred a decision on traffic calming measures to ease the passage of service 110 buses from Burniston Road to Langdale Avenue. At the November meeting of Wyke Area Committee a report was considered on the reasons for seeking these changes giving details of the results of the consultation exercise. The Committee felt that the report failed to establish why alternative methods proposed by residents were unsatisfactory, and contained bland generalisations not robust reasons for action. Local residents may rest assured that, concerned as we are to ensure that Bricknell Estate is not wantonly disconnected from the bus network, we will not change anybody’s parking arrangements until we are entirely satisfied it is necessary.

Progress on YPI planning enforcement

John Fareham and John Abbott are making progress towards solving the YPI planning breaches about leaving floodlights on too long. Witness statements have now been prepared by the officers responsible for planning enforcement and passed on to the Council’s legal team who are currently making preparations to act on receipt of formal instructions. The issues we have had elsewhere in the Ward, responding to local residents’ concerns about travellers on unauthorised camp sites makes us wary of extrapolating a court date from the facts we now possess; however, this is the kind of progress we thought local residents would like to know about, even if only as reassurance that the system is still moving forward.

Bricknell Avenue potholes to be repaired

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured an undertaking that potholes on Bricknell Avenue near the roundabout will be inspected and a work order raised to fill them in. We received complaints from local residents that they were experiencing vibration caused by these flaws in the road surface when heavy vehicles passed over them and that they had received undertakings that work would be done. John and I therefore checked the location of the potholes, took photos to send to the officers and listened to the noise made by traffic passing over the potholes, which tended to support the view taken of the matter by local residents. We have now received assurances from the officers that an inspector will visit the site and that a work order will be raised to get the potholes filled in. We are of course continuing to act on concerns about carriageway maintenance elsewhere on Bricknell Avenue.

Bricknell Avenue bus time display updated

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the bus timetables displayed on both sides of Bricknell Avenue near the shops to be updated to reflect the new Stagecoach Service 13A. At the beginning of September Stagecoach revised the service 13 so that some buses would carry on past Fairfax Avenue, turn right along Hotham Road North and then carry on as usual when outbound; such buses, when inbound, serve Hull Road, Cottingham as far as the West Bulls and then turn onto Bricknell Avenue. Full timetable details are available from the Interchange but we thought it was not good enough that the stops at the junction of Hotham Road North and Bricknell Avenue should only show the existing Service 110. We therefore contacted the officers who agreed – in short order – to update the timetable information given on the bus stop signage.

Goodfellowship planning application withdrawn

John Fareham and John Abbott understand that the planning application recently submitted, to change the conditions originally applied to the proposal for eight houses on the Goodfellowship pub car park, has now been withdrawn. The original developer has pulled the plug altogether. The original planning permission will however remain in place until April 2015 which would give any potential developer, who wants to take over, ample time to step in and either act on the present planning permission or submit a fresh application which could result in more properties on the same plot of land. We will of course keep local residents informed as to what happens if a fresh developer comes along or a new application is submitted.

County Road North-National Avenue grassed area tidied

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the trimming of an untidy patch of grass at the junction of County Road North and National Avenue. The foliage at this point had become sufficiently untidy to warrant the use of a strimmer. We therefore contacted the officers and asked for clarification as to when action would be taken and the work has now been carried out. We will however continue to press for a proper redesign of the grass and plants at this junction. We will continue to take the view that, since the original planting at this point was carried out using Community Initiatives funding, the corporate centre should fund the remodelling since it became necessary through their lack of vigilance as to its condition.