Villagers have been granted a temporary reprieve from ill-thought through roadworks they claim will “cut off” vulnerable pensioners and cause traffic bedlam.
SGN were due to close the B2000/Town Road, just before Cliffe Woods on the Hoo Peninsula, for two weeks.
The gas company said the “essential work”, between the junctions of Lillechurch Road and View Road, was needed to ensure local homes and businesses continue to receive a reliable gas supply.
But permission for the works, due to start next Monday (July 28) and last until August 10, have now been revoked by the council following a backlash from residents.
Frustrated villagers say those who designed the much-maligned scheme – including the diversion route – needs to go back to the drawing board.
Peter Blackwell, 78, said: “Whoever decided this should lose their job in my opinion, there’s no way anyone from the council came to look at what it would actually mean.
“You’re going to have big lorries, emergency vehicles, and people going to work all on these little roads which just can’t cope with them.
“They just looked up a route on Google Maps and said ‘that’ll do’ without understanding the area.”
Villagers the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spoke to in Cliffe Woods said they didn’t believe anybody who designed or approved the works had ever visited the village or travelled the suggested diversion route.
They say if they had they would’ve seen it was unsuitable for the kind of traffic needing to use it.
Derek Graves, 68, believes the roads are too narrow and have tight S-bends and a weight-restricted bridge that simply can’t accommodate the heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from building materials provider Bretts Aggregates which will need to use the diversion.
He said: “They were going to totally close the road off, but no consideration had been given to what was going to happen with villagers and all the businesses this side of the road closure.
“Part of the diversion actually has sign up that says unsuitable for HGV lorries and the road in places is only two and a half metres wide, so you’ve got absolutely no chance of two of the lorries getting by each other.
“Whoever signed it off from the highways department of Medway Council doesn’t know the area and how small the roads are around here.
“Nobody was informed about what was going to happen and we’ve been left to find out through other means.
“If they close the road off, the village is cut off, simple as.”
Derek, who has lived in the area for several decades, can’t recall the B2000 ever being fully closed.
He added: “I was here before the gas main was put in. When they put it in, they didn’t close the B2000.
“In the 40 years I’ve been here the B2000 has never, ever, ever been closed totally for any road work schemes whatsoever – we’ve always had access in and out.”
After news started to spread about the proposed closure, villagers quickly began emailing Medway Council who authorised the works and their local representatives to register their discontent.
Last Thursday (July 17) it was announced permission for the works had been revoked.
The local authority says the closure is still necessary at some point for the works as the pipe is in the centre of the road, but it will now reconsider the diversion route planned.
A spokesperson added: “Partial closures and phased working were considered as part of the review process, however, the nature of the works SGN need to undertake meant a full road closure was the only viable option to ensure the safety of workers and the public.
“Unfortunately, the surrounding road network has limited alternatives which are suitable for HGVs, however, it was selected as the most appropriate route under the circumstances.
“However, given the concerns raised the permit for these works has been revoked to allow the proposals to be re-assessed in order to try and identify an alternative diversion route and traffic management options.”
The council also explained a risk assessment, factoring in the type of traffic needing to use the diversion and the impact on residents, was done as part of planning for the roadworks.
Derek now hopes a solution which doesn’t involve the full closure of the road, or a serious mitigation of its impacts, is possible.
He says some local businesses had already cancelled appointments with the expectation the diversion would make them unfeasible and were now desperately trying to get them back.
Meanwhile, villagers say they accept essential work needs to be done but want to see it better managed.
Lynette Vyse cares for her 95-year-old mother, who lives in Wainscott, and the planned diversion adds at least 25 minutes to the journey she makes four times a day.
Lynette, 70, said: “I get that work needs to be done but they did not consider the practicalities.
The route they’ve proposed just simply will not work
“No lorry can go down these roads easily and so it’s just going to back up and up and nobody will be able to get anywhere.
“And when that happens emergency vehicles won’t be able to get through, police and ambulances.
“There are vulnerable people, either on their own or reliant on others, who will be really badly affected.”
Jill Collins also thinks the diversion is unworkable and a suitable alternative needs to be provided.
The 68-year-old said: “Down the road we’ve got some of the best engineers at the army barracks, they could very easily put in a temporary road, just for the time of the closure, because otherwise we’re totally cut off.
“The route they’ve proposed just simply will not work.”
There are also fears the roadworks could isolate some villagers wholly reliant on public transport.
As part of the original planned closure SGN said it would be funding a free shuttle bus, operated by Nu-Venture.
But residents hit out at a lack of information on changes to bus stops and routes.
Leanne Morgan, 54, said: “For people who don’t drive themselves, it’ll be like Covid times again, not being able to get out.
“People will be anxious about how this closure will impact them and we’ve not had very much communication about it.”
David Hiscock, 78, agreed regarding the communication. He added: “They could’ve done more to tell us about this because no one knew about it until it started being discussed on Facebook, there was no consultation.”
He wants to see a copy of the council’s risk assessment because there are, in his view “so many problems”.
“If you’re not keeping your speed down, you just aren’t safe,” he continued.
“I don’t think they’ve properly considered everything so I’d like to see what sort of work they’ve done to come up with this route.”
