Good evening all,
I am pleased to report that we have an update regarding proposed closure of A361 alongside Drayton reservoir.
Daventry District council officers met with the Micklewell Developers and highways yesterday at Northamptonshire County council offices. The result of the meeting is looking good at the moment, in that they are looking at D.D.C.’s proposal to lay the services in the Northern Valley park (probably better known to locals as the fields by Lang Farm) It is hoped to have an answer within 7 days (max 14 days) – Utilities companies – ie Gas, Electricity & Water companies are involved.
I note, also, that Northants Highways tweeted earlier this evening to confirm that closure of the road is NOT going ahead on 3rd February to allow all parties involved to work on an alternative – for those of you who follow twitter they will be posting updates there.
Meanwhile – a HUGE “THANK YOU” to all the residents have supported the campaign thus far and signed the petition. If you haven’t already signed here is a link to the petition.
THANK YOU also to David James who has been proactive liaising with DDC officers and keeping me updated, to Ken Ritchie for also offering support. Also many thanks to Daventry District Council, Daventry Express, DDC, BBC Radio Northampton and Daventry Radio for listening to Middlemore Residents and thus supporting us in our campaign to stop this closure.
Also if Melissa Symonds hadn’t noticed the notification on Braunston social media and Tamlyn hadn’t initially chased response from DDC this could have completely slipped under the radar – thanks both !!
ON A FINAL NOTE – PLEASE BE ASSURED THAT I WILL KEEP YOU ALL UPDATED – MANY THANKS Karen Tweedale
Great news, thanks Karen! And to all of the Middlemore and Daventry residents that signed the petition and helped get this overturned for now. Thank you! 😊
Hi Karen,
As well as thanking David James, Ken Ritchie and DDC, I think we residents also owe you a great vote of thanks for all the hard work you have put in on this matter. Let us know if you need more help in that regard in the coming weeks.
Well done.
Peter D
Brilliant news. Well done.
Congratulations! Fabulous news against all the odds. Thank you everyone for getting behind this to make those in authority sit up and actually take notice. I’m all for progress and appreciate that necessary works have to take place but in this particular instance not nearly enough forethought had been put into the impact on residents, buses, emergency services, etc., particularly in light of inadequate access to the estate and the two building sites running concurrently. Well done!
I would like to thank esp’ Karen, Melissa and Tamlyn for all vigilantly noticing the council’s sneaky attempt to close A361 at only two weeks’ notice,
so putting all Middlemore residents at risk of NOT being reached in time by emergency services trying to use a single-lane road, often obstructed by building site traffic,
and for swiftly and successfully organising the change.org petition and getting local media to report it and so stopping county council from beginning the closure on 3rd Feb’.
You have achieved a very important improvement for us all, for as well as ambulance, fire and police losing their access to Middlemore at ANY moment for 6 weeks, we would all have to slog through ridiculously long traffic jams in ‘rush hours’, as every vehicle – including big lorries for Middlemore’s pub and shop – would have to use this narrow lane.
Also consider – as far as we are hearing, that narrow road is not yet legally adopted or a public road, is not surfaced properly, has obstacles in it, and there is a road sign TELLING private cars and vehicles NOT to use it.
Yet the county council’s geniuses in ‘managing’ our roads were going to FORCE us all to use an illegal road route, and a tiny road INCAPABLE of coping with all of Middlemore’s cars, lorries and whatever else – who knows, maybe even horses and a travelling circus of elephants.
Clearly the ‘officers in charge’ either:-
1) knew they were flouting the law and making all cars, etc, flout the law by using this road
or
2) are incompetent, ignorant, so did not even CHECK whether and how this single-lane road could be used or cope with so much traffic every day for 6 weeks,
and either way tried – but FAILED – to sneak in this A361 closure on EVERYONE who lives in Middlemore at only TWO weeks’ notice,
AND of course to hugely inconvenience all of the lorries, Daventry’s many warehouse and other companies, cars, vehicles, cyclists and other road users on A361 into Daventry,
who in turn would have to follow a diversion thru nearby villages – so A361 being closed would ALSO cause all of those residents massive disruption, worry, traffic and queues, as small village high streets are NOT suited for 100s of fast vehicles ploughing through every day, as they can easily on A361 – which is designed to cope with them all.
So, thanks also to David James, any local and district councillors and staff and our local media, who have indeed all helped to prevent A361 being closed.
Just as important – please, everyone on Middlemore keep signing and sharing Karen’s excellent petition – with as many of YOUR pals as possible, to FORCE OUR county council public SERVANTS to use the alternative road closure, (via Lang Farm fields and much quieter B-road),
so that their work does NOT inconvenience us – the public and their employers, as there are no houses beyond Welton.
So the road closure must be put on that short, quiet stretch of road, where it won’t disrupt or stress out anyone, as we can all drive via Norton, Welton, Ashby and many other easy, quick routes from or into the east and north sides of Daventry.
Local people’s voices, democracy and protests WORK!
We will all of course KEEP our pressure ON the highways and county council, until it is CONFIRMED that A361 will NOT be closed so stupidly, and the road closed will instead be off the FAR quieter and less important B-road past Welton and work installed over the ‘Lang Farm fields’…
….so, don’t think you have won and outwitted or ;shushed’ us all up by ‘reviewing the situation’, county council!
Middlemore residents and all the companies and drivers who use A361 often are NOT a few easily dismissed people in a hamlet – or did you all NOT somehow astonishingly think of THAT, before deciding to try to close the A361 very busy and important road from M1 and Middlemore into Daventry?!
That’s positive indeed, well done all, especially Karen, you’re tireless young lady!
Well done for collecting the signatures so quickly. Let’s hope common sense prevails with a good alternative solution. I watched how much traffic leaves the estate and returns every hour. With the M1 and A5 traffic and villages on the 361 as well, the road is pretty major to a lot of people. I look forward to seeing a result in our favour. Thanks again Janet
This is good news indeed.
It doesn’t though get around the fact that there are a lot of people using this bus gate despite the No Entry sign. If there was an accident on this stretch between cars I’d be interested to know if insurance would cough up…
Thank you to Karen and all the participants who’ve taken time to ensure this has been brought to light.
Brilliant news.