There is a lot going on and a full update on all projects FEDORA is involved on will be included in the next edition of FEDORA magazine. There is good progress in some areas, in particular a new 20mph speed limit in the centre of the village has been agreed and funded. In the meantime….
M25 J10/A3 Wisley Interchange Development
We reported in our email of 13 July the unsatisfactory state of affairs. This included the fact that on 31 May 2022 the Surrey Cabinet member responsible for roads and infrastructure made a public statement regarding the Traffic Management Plan (required to minimise the impact on the local community) which misled both local residents and councillors.
There is however now progress in the involvement, overdue but through no fault of theirs, of our local Surrey councillors. Cllr David Lewis provided this update:
“Mark Sugden, Surrey County Councillor for Hinchley Wood, Claygate and Oxshott and I recently met with the National Highways team who are responsible for the M25/J10 project. It was confirmed that construction works are planned between Summer 2022 and Summer 2025. A Traffic Management Plan (TMP) was required for the scheme as a legal requirement. This is a National Highways (NH) document and is approved by the Secretary of State. Surrey County Council is a consultee. National Highways confirmed that the TMP is not “carved in stone” and is a living document which can be amended to react to local issues as they arise. The TMP has been published on the NH website under the DCO Requirements section. We were advised that there is a M25 Western Corridor Coordination Group where all planned projects along this corridor can be discussed in order to co-ordinate and mitigate potential impact.
It was confirmed that where the work occurs on SCC highways, SCC approval has to be obtained. It was stated that it is the intention of National Highways and the contractors, Balfour Beatty, to minimise road closures and use diversions routes wherever possible. To do this, the A3 will be maintained as 3 lanes in each direction with narrow running lanes and a 50 mph speed limit enforced. A 50 mph speed limit will also be imposed on the M25 leading up to and including the project area. Working hours will be 8 am to 6 pm weekdays and 8am – 7pm on Saturdays. Where possible, some activities will be undertaken at night but this is not possible for all types of work. National Highways agreed to provide regular updates via their webpages, social media, newsletters, letter drops, text messages etc. It was also agreed that Surrey Highways would provide Surrey County Councillors with a single point of contact who would raise queries and concerns with National Highways and Balfour Beatty as part of their regular dialogue throughout the project.”
We are grateful to both councillors for their support and for responding quickly once the true situation regarding the TMP emerged. We will continue to work closely with other local residents’ groups and key stakeholders to clarify what SCC’s future role on the TMP will be given contradictory statements made by SCC and NH. Our objective is to ensure that in future both SCC and NH have more respect for local residents and recognise and respond to the legitimate concerns about the potential impact on our local environment during the three year construction period.
Merrileas
The road closure necessitated by new sewer works outside Merrileas was completed within the estimated two weeks. We know the closure was a major inconvenience to some and a delight to others as we were spared HGVs rumbling through the village at night. Signage could have been better but we maintained contact with the contractors who were responsive to problems as they emerged. You may have noticed some minor subsidence at the site of the works appeared within days of the road being reopened which we have reported and are told will be fixed in due course. This and a number of other works such as road widening, new pedestrian refuges and other utility works will all require partial road closures under traffic light control so there is plenty or disruption still to come.
