Agenda item

Concerns and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

• Pot holes in the road had been continually filed and never been completely resurfaced
• Shattered pavements and kerb had had never been replaced
• There were roots and trees showing through the cracks in the road and pavements
• The road was regularly used by children and parents to access the schools nearby
• There had been a number of accidents with people falling off their bikes and children regularly falling over
• There had also been a major accident as a result of drivers trying to swerve the pot holes in the road
• The condition of the pavements was detrimental to people pushing prams
• Although it was acknowledged about four or five years ago that the road was bad, nothing could be done at that time
• A number of slabs had been replaced but there were still a large proportion of broken pavement slab in need of replacement
• Repair work done on the road did not last long, due to the large number of pot holes
• The drains did not appear to be able to cope with running water from the road
• Parking had become a major problem, particularly as parents dropped and collected their children to and from school.

Councillor Michael White attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor in support of the petitioners, and made the following comments:

• Concerned about the safety of the pavements, particularly for the elderly  and children
• The road was in a poor state and would need major resurfacing
• Some areas of the kerb appeared to be disintegrating and therefore would need to be properly resurfaced
• Asked petitioners to note that a programme of tree replanting in the road had been earmarked in the Ward budget.

Having listened to the issues and concerns raised by the petitioners and Ward Councillor, the Cabinet Member responded that:

• After the bad weather, inspection of the roads in Hillingdon were carried out to ascertain repairs that would be required before the next winter
•  Following the inspection, officers reported that it was estimated that it would cost £2.4 million to repair the roads
• The original highways budget of £750,000 therefore fell short of this amount required
• The release of £2.4 million pound had been agreed with £1.1 million being released in March 2010 and the remaining £1.3 million being rolled over from the beginning April 2010 onwards
• He was aware of the issue of the condition of the road and that Mount Pleasant was included as part of the Council’s programme for road works in the 2010/11 financial year
• Resurfacing of Mount Pleasant should be completed by the end of summer in 2010

It was noted that school holidays would be taken into account when works were being carried out.

Resolved

 That the Cabinet Member for Planning and Transportation:

1.                  Noted that officers had carried out a detailed assessment and that they recommend that the carriageway surfaces in Mount Pleasant receive treatment during a future programme.

2.                  Noted that in response to the petition, responsive works were carried out to repair or replaced damaged kerbs, and to resurface defective areas of tarmac footway, and that some broken concrete paving slabs were replaced.

3.                  Instructed officers to undertake a full inspection of the kerbs and pavements in the area and provide a report to the Cabinet member for a decision.

Reasons for recommendation

The existing carriageway surface has deteriorated to the extent that shallow fretting has taken place in isolated areas of the carriageway. This is due to the natural ageing of the surface and the surface dressing that has been applied over the original layer. Past patching has filled some of the worst fretting but only as a temporary measure. The road profile is “bumpy” in places but not excessively so. In some small areas the bitmac surface has completely worn away exposing small areas of the original concrete surface. This is not dangerous but does give the road a “patchwork” appearance. Resurfacing would provide a smoother, improved riding surface, maintain the asset value of the highway and improve the visual aspect of the street.

Alternative options considered

Officers consider that the carriageway surface is now beyond normal patching repair and that resurfacing is the only option available to restore a smooth surface.

Relevant Ward

Cavendish