Parish Council
As you can all see, the work has started on the road up from the Old School. Traffic light system in place. It looks like they have nearly finished the section they are currently on and I think (but cannot be certain) that they will move up the road in the direction of Okehampton.
There continues to be confusion over Sticklepath Bridge. I know that they will be digging up the entire width of the road and it will be closed. I also know that the bus companies have been informed. I do not know when the work is planned. The diversion is planned to include all large vehicles to be via the A30. Residents (Mike Bazeley and others), have commented in social media about this and asked what happens if there is an accident on this section of the A30. My answer, I have no idea and I don’t think the Highways agency are going to either. Whether or not the bridge will be open to pedestrians is still not clear but I suspect that the bridge itself will be clear for pedestrians just not traversable by motor vehicles.
In regards to communications with Highways, I think it pertinent to say that it would be very important, as we are building relationships with members including Josh Sillitoe, that only myself and the Clerk contact them. This is not to say that the views of other councillors or human beings will be taken into account. This is to ensure that we all work hard, together to ensure that we do not overload an already overworked and extremely busy person.
Potholes in the village still continue to cause upset. The condition of Oaktree Park continues to deteriorate as does Willey Lane but currently, and this has already been stated by Josh, there are no current plans or resources available to deal with these areas. I have already expressed my concerns about other areas of the village but I’m afraid it’s currently a waiting game. The important sections of the village are to ensure that the main highway, i.e. main road, is surfaced properly to allow residents and non-residents to pass through. I will continue to work with Josh and Sally to ensure that we maintain a good relationship and we can hopefully get more areas of the road infrastructure fixed.