Firstly, sincere apologies for not providing my usual update last month. So much was going on inside County Hall, as well as locally with several issues I was helping with, I didn’t find a spare minute to sit and write my usual update for locals.
The electricity cable is now under the A360 and we have had a couple of weeks without the Hell of temporary traffic lights. They are hateful things that are never synchronised properly when they are first installed and require at least a few hours for the guys on site to figure out why traffic in one direction has been sat listening to an entire podcast whilst cars from the other direction have been flowing through continuously. Once they have it all figured out and adjusted the trench progresses 50m and the lights get moved putting us back to square one! Thankfully the difference between these temporary lights and the all-singing all-dancing ones are night and day. I am always pointed towards the installation on the main London Road in Devizes where it meets Windsor Drive (at the petrol station) as a good example. We had months of excruciating issues while the work was being done and then as soon as the new lights went in it has completely changed the experience for drivers passing through. Quick, safe and easy (until they hit central Devizes!)
The most painful stage will shortly be upon us with the closure of the Worton Road for more than a month (they will probably finish sooner than that). The official diversion is long and painful and those who know the local roads will no doubt annoy the surrounding villages by diverting through in large numbers. I wish there was a simple answer to this, or any other significant road works, but there just isn’t. When Market Lavington high street was shut during the day recently, I received several emails from residents who were angry that it wasn’t done during the night. When the A360 through West Lavington was resurfaced overnight last year I had a few angry emails from people who complained it wasn’t being done through the day! What works for one person will make life difficult for another, that’s life; we just need to all focus on the objective which is a sensible solution to the dangers of Black Dog crossroads.
In other news, Market Lavington, Great Cheverell and West Lavington are all undertaking Neighbourhood Plan reviews. Following a number of substantial (and somewhat contentious) developments cropping up over the last few years it is vital that communities come together to decide where they would prefer new houses. I will stop you immediately if you are currently shouting at this page “WE DON’T WANT ANY MORE HOUSES!” – I get it… but our Labour government doesn’t! Housing targets have almost doubled for Wiltshire (no coincidence that it is not a Labour voting area – Many Labour strongholds have seen their targets slashed). All we can do is work together to find the best places for new homes, to outline what we want them to look like and what other infrastructure is needed to support them. If we don’t create a Plan then it makes it easier for a developer to force houses on us in places we definitely don’t want them!
You may contact me about this or any other matter by email to dominic.muns@wiltshire.gov.uk or by phone on 07585 394 178.
