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Greenwich Council Meeting 16/12/09: Roadworks, Foot Tunnel, John Roan School & Charlton Lido

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Greenwich Council has said it wants to join a scheme which will enable it to co-ordinate roadworks in the borough, after a year which has seen serious disruption on Greenwich roads.

Works by Southern Gas Networks and Thames Water have caused traffic to grind to a halt through Greenwich town centre, while Charlton and Blackheath have also been seriously affected by a water main replacement programme.

The issue was highlighted by greenwich.co.uk's Andrew Gilligan in November after it emerged the council had not joined a Transport for London scheme, under which utilities have to get permits from local authorities before they dig up roads.

Deputy leader Peter Brooks told last night's Greenwich Council meeting he wanted the borough to join the programme.

In a written answer to Liberal Democrat councillor Brian Woodcraft, who asked why Greenwich was not part of the scheme, he said: "I am very keen for Greenwich to participate in this scheme, and I hope the trial will be expanded for us to be able to do so very soon."

However, he not answer why the council had not joined the scheme, and Cllr Woodcraft did not press him on the issue.

Lewisham and Bromley councils are involved in the TfL programme, which is due to come into force next year.

Greenwich Foot Tunnel

A petition signed by 1,000 users of Greenwich foot tunnel demanding that closures be kept to a minimum when it is refurbished was presented to the council by Liberal Democrat member Paul Webbewood.

The river crossing, together with its sister tunnel at Woolwich, is due to be refurbished by 2012, with regular users fearing lengthy closures.

Council leader Chris Roberts told the meeting a contractor had been appointed to carry out the works.

"We're discussing what work needs to be done and what the hours will be," he said.

"Then we can advise residents and businesses on arrangements for both tunnels."

John Roan School

Greenwich Council confirmed it would respect John Roan School governors' decision not to move to a new site on Greenwich Peninsula.

Blackheath Westcombe Conservative councillor Alex Wilson asked if a timetable had been set out for works to improve John Roan's existing sites on Maze Hill and Westcombe Park Road.

But children's services cabinet member Jackie Smith said the proposals were still in the "developmental stage".

"It is too early to be definitive about completion dates, but will will want to ensure that the project is progressed as quickly as practicable."

Charlton Lido

Conservative leader Spencer Drury criticised the council for not giving an update on works at Charlton Lido, which is being converted into a diving centre.

Earlier this year his party colleague, Kidbrooke with Hornfair councillor Graeme Coombes, presented a 222-strong petitioning demanding the reopening of the lido for the summer season.

It had been closed in anticipation of leasing the lido out to private firm Open Waters Investments, which is due to re-open the pool by summer 2012.

But the lease was not signed until 14 August, leaving the lido empty for the summer.

Responding to the petition, the council said it would have taken leisure operator GLL two weeks to mobilise its staff, and that opening hours at another centre would have to be cut to staff Charlton Lido.

Cllr Drury called the reply "disappointing". "I hoped there would have been an update on whether work has started," he told the meeting.

But Olympics and culture cabinet member John Fahy said he saw no reason to doubt that the revamped lido would open on time.

New Trees in Greenwich

If you think your street would benefit from having some new trees, then Greenwich Council wants to hear from you.

The council is spending £4.8m on planting 2,012 trees in the borough to mark the Olympics, with planting due to take place next winter.

In response to a public question from the Greenwich Environment Forum's Anna Townend, Olympics and culture cabinet member John Fahy told the meeting the council was looking for places to put the trees in.

"We've been consulting with residents for a number of weeks, particularly at our Great Get-Together events," he said.

Cllr Fahy added that he did not think that a new woodland would be created with the trees.

Andrew Gilligan: A Hole Lotta Trouble

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Greenwich

WHO SAID the British worker was lazy? Over the last few weeks, an impressive array of Men In Hard Hats have dug up what feels like every single street in West Greenwich, one at a time.

No road appears too insignificant to be turned into a trench. And rather like the Jehovah’s Witnesses with new converts, no road completed is seen as simply an achievement in itself – but more as a God-given opportunity to dig up the next one.

But why are they actually doing this? Is it some sort of Doris Salcedo-style art installation? Is it MI6, still looking for those missing Iraqi WMDs, following “compelling intelligence” that Saddam Hussein secretly buried them beneath Ashburnham Grove? Nobody seems to be displaying anything as boring as a sign telling us, so on your behalf, I have tried to find out.

First stop is Greenwich Council’s exciting, interactive new streetworks database, recently launched to tell you everything you need to know about the hole-makers. This informs us that across the borough, there are currently 308 sets of roadworks – one for every five streets.

Greenwich - Road Closed

In Greenwich itself, there are currently 77 sets of roadworks (77!) of which 9 are defined as “high impact.” Some of these (like the ones that recently caused such trouble in the town centre) are the work of Southern Gas Networks, doing gas main replacement. But from the database, it looks like the people who have been digging up most of our side streets are… Greenwich Council.

Why, I still don’t know. I did ask them, naturally, but more for form’s sake than for anything else. I have long ago given up hope of getting any information out of the Greenwich Council press office, which could perhaps be replaced with an answerphone message saying “I am afraid I do not have the answer to that question” for a substantial saving of council taxpayers’ money. (Last week, they refused to tell me what they were spending on the Olympics legacy – a figure freely available from this week’s Greenwich Time.)

The other possibility, of course, is that Greenwich Council does not itself know why it is digging up our roads. This is not as implausible as it sounds. After all, so many of the council’s other actions (closure of the foot tunnel, Olympics in the park) seem to have been taken on the same basis.

What’s undeniable is that the current system for roadworks stinks. Setting aside the council, there are a large number of “statutory undertakers” – mostly water, gas, electricity and telecoms companies – who dig the majority of the holes in London’s endlessly-patched streets.

Contrary to popular belief, these companies do not have to get approval from anyone – least of all the local authority – to start work. With only a few exceptions, they have the right to dig up the roads whenever they want. They just have to give notice, and sometimes not even that in the case of work deemed “urgent” or “emergency.” There is little or nothing to stop different statutory undertakers – or even the same one – digging up the same street as soon as a previous dig has finished.

In July 2004, the Government passed the Traffic Management Act – which allowed local authorities to introduce “permit schemes” to regulate and co-ordinate roadworks. However, thanks to heavy lobbying from the utility companies, Whitehall for more than five years refused to allow local authorities to use the powers they had themselves granted. Only last month was the first permit scheme under the Act – for TfL and 18 London boroughs - finally approved by ministers. More sensible regulation of roadworks will probably be implemented only next year, a full six years after the legislation was passed.

There’s one other unfortunate fact, I’m afraid. Our borough is not among the 18 included the permit scheme (although Lewisham is, for the benefit of our more southerly readers.) Greenwich is in fact in the last wave of London councils on this issue, having not yet made up its mind when it wants a permit scheme at all.

Whether through carrying out its own mystery roadworks, or failing to regulate other people’s, Greenwich will continue to be the borough with too many holes in the road for some time to come.

Council Responds to A2 Business Concerns

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Greenwich Council has reacted to concerns from businesses affected by the continued roadworks on the A2 in Blackheath which are due to carry on until the end of April.

They have written to the Royal Parks Agency to request extended opening hours for drivers through the Greenwich Park, as was suggested in the comments section on Andrew Gilligan's article about the traffic chaos. Critics may wonder why such arrangements weren't put in place before the works started.

The council is also encouraging businesses to apply for a temporary reduction in business rates and is reminding them that there are opportunities for free advertising in the council's Greenwich Time publication.

Council leader Chris Roberts said: “The impact of the closure of the A2 has undoubtedly affected the local community. Business-owners have contacted us about their concerns and we are working closely with them to identify what we can do to reduce the effects of the road closure.”