More misery for motorists as busy commuter route plagued with construction traffic is closed

Drivers travelling through the leafy suburb of Tettenhall have had to slow down in recent weeks to squeeze past lorries or queue in heavy traffic caused by the building of a retirement home in Stockwell Road.

Now a stretch of the road has been closed in both directions so traffic-calming measures on behalf of McCarthy & Stone site can be installed. Drivers have been warned to expect extensive delays.

A diversion route has been set up for the duration of the works.

The road closed between its junctions with Lloyd Road and Danescourt Road yesterday and will stay shut until Friday.

The work, in keeping with the site’s planning permission, includes installing speed bumps, putting up signage for a 20mph speed limit and narrowing the road.

The development has been controversial since the demolition of the historic so-called Clock House that once stood on the site.

The plans were strongly opposed when first submitted to Wolverhampton council, with planning chiefs throwing out the proposals.

A petition was signed by 160 residents and 230 objections were made on the grounds of an anticipated increase in traffic on Stockwell Road and connecting roads.

There were also complaints about loss of trees and natural habitats, and insufficient parking.

But permission for the 22 retirement apartments was granted after developers appealed to the National Planning Inspectorate and were given the go-ahead. Cranes moved on to the site in the summer to begin the work.

Only last week fed-up residents complained to ward councillor Jonathan Yardley that lorries from the site were blocking the road with their trucks and even parking on private drives.

Mr Yardley said Stockwell End had been gridlocked for weeks but called the latest development a ‘nightmare’ for residents and motorists alike.

McCarthy & Stone apologised for the traffic problems and said they would try to minimise any further disruption, which they claimed was caused by the contractor suspending parking on site to allow groundworkers room to carry out essential works.

The firm thanked residents for their ‘continued patience and understanding’.

The house which stood where the apartments have been built was once owned by Edward Swindley who donated Tettenhall’s landmark clock tower on Upper Green in 1911.

A scale model of the Tettenhall clock stood in his garden and has been preserved by developers.

The Stockwell Road apartments will be McCarthy & Stone’s third development in the village.