Major programme of improvements on these Sutton Coldfield roads after petition
Work has started on a major programme of pavement improvements in the Sutton Vesey ward.
The work is under way after the successful submission of a petition from city councillors Rob Pocock and Kath Scott.
More than 2km of poor quality pavements will be replaced by a brand new surface, along Halton Road, Melrose Avenue and Stirling Road, where work is already under way.
The petition was raised over the summer and signed by several hundred local residents calling on the City Council contractors, Kier Highways, to upgrade the pavements that have been causing trip hazards and surface break-up over several years.
The repairs now agreed will include a mix of paving slabs and asphalt, with the new paving slabs in the section of Halton Road between Melrose Avenue and Stonehouse Road being retained as new slabs, and also the eastern side of Melrose Avenue, where there are grass verges too.
New asphalt surfaces will be installed in other areas.
Where out-size trees have caused pavement damage to the pavements through excessive root growth, trees will be replaced by smaller trees more suited to the street environment, to avoid the risk of further damaging the new pavements.
Councillor Pocock said: “This is excellent news for the residents who have complained to us for several years about these existing poor pavements.
“We have managed to get the odd patch-up in the past, but the pavements really need to be totally replaced by a brand new surface.”
“That’s what our petition was calling for, and now that’s exactly what will be done. There will inevitably be some disruption to residents while this major improvement work is under way, but by the spring the whole area should be in a much better state at long last.
“Then we need to move on to other roads in the future, for example Hollyhurst Road, Sunnybank Road, and parts of Ivy Road and Boldmere Road have similar problems and we need to get a similar upgrade there too”.
