Wosley Park – Cold Weather Highways Update

Some residents recently got in touch with me about the icy highways conditions in Wosley Park and I informed them that the road was yet to be adopted by Essex County Council. However, I got in touch with the developer and have since received this response.

With respect to the strategic drainage network, all five storage ponds with associated swales have been constructed and are currently holding and carrying surface water on site as designed. These have not overtopped and have significant capacity remaining.

Countryside are however aware of two areas of specific attention where there are surface water issues affecting the spine road as follows:

• Broad location of the children’s play area (as shown in the photographs you kindly forwarded) – Countryside have arranged for a civil engineer to investigate the source of this water. Specifically, whether an underground pipe has burst or whether an additional drainage channel needs to be constructed beyond those originally planned to direct water away from the spine road and footpath. I will report back on this matter once I have been passed on feedback from the engineer.

 

2. In the vicinity of the Bloor construction access extending southwards – This primarily originates from within the Bloor compound where construction vehicle wheels are cleaned before exiting onto the spine road. There is clearly a balance here insofar that it is desirable for all parties that mud carried onto the spine road is limited which can only be achieved by washing vehicles down with water. This matter has been brought to the attention of Bloor so that they can review if anything further can be done to manage water flow post-vehicle wash down and avoid it flowing onto the spine road.

It has also been requested that Bloor leave their temporary 5mph speed signage out over the week to warn drivers of the need to drive carefully whilst we have freezing conditions, which they have confirmed they will initiate. More significantly, Countryside has privately arranged for the spine road carriageway to be gritted at times of freezing weather until such time that this is picked up by ECC as the highway authority. I can confirm that this has now commenced and should improve road conditions whilst the above points are resolved.