Signs improved for roadwork-hit Telford businesses

Telford & Wrekin Council highways officers were on hand to talk to residents about the works at Lakeside Garden Centre in Priorslee, where businesses and residents have been hit by emergency roadworks in the area.

A six-week-long major restructuring project has started in Castle Farm Way after routine surfacing works revealed structural problems below the top of the road.

The drop-in session was organised by the authority and held yesterday after businesses and residents complained. Signage has now been improved to make it clear that businesses in the area are open as usual.

Dave Henley, service delivery manager for Telford & Wrekin's highways and neighbourhood service, said: "The drop-in service has been very useful because it was such an emergency job that we had to make decisions very quickly – the whole logistics of it all, getting contractors and materials lined up, it has been a challenge.

"We felt after the feedback from the community that having a drop-in session would be useful to explain the challenges we face.

"We have learned from what the residents have had to say and the residents have understood the challenges we face.

"We have also been able to pick up other issues from local residents as well about access issues and for the school traffic and bus routes and that has allowed us to take forward issues that we know we are going to face with the traffic.

"We sympathise with the businesses and the impact that this type of emergency work has on the businesses but we have had positive communication and proved working with the local businesses to ensure signage was out to say it was business as usual."

Kevin Turley, of Lakeside Garden Centre, had said the works had had a "catastrophic" impact on the business, hitting the normally rampant Easter trade.

He said: "This session has been very well attended, residents have been coming out with their concerns. The positive news is that they are looking to open up Salisbury Avenue for the weekend but people are starting to use Woodhouse Lane as a short cut which worries me.

"This is Easter week and this place would normally be rammed with families and children. Quite a few of the customers have said where do you go how to you find it."

Paul Thomas, a Highgrove Meadows resident, said: "The immediate problem was lack of signage. People did not know which direction to go and where. It is an inconvenience it does create safety risks. Particularly next week when Redhill Primary School and Priorslee Primary Academy are back the traffic management around there is already pretty bad and traffic is not going to follow the diversion routes people will use shortcuts."