Above the Parapet

Cllr Mick Fraser - Suffolk County Council Report

Hadleigh Quarry

The operators of the quarry submitted Planning applications SCC/0091/19/VOC and B/12/01244/VOC that were considered by Suffolk’s Development & Regulation Committee last 6th June.

In my statement I stated that the increase in maximum average number of daily HGV movements into and out of the quarry to 60 per day (30 in and 30 out) would be additional hazards for users of the A1071 Hadleigh by-pass. This 15-fold increase in slow moving HGV traffic would also necessitate widening works to be carried out on Aldham Mill Hill. The committee voted in favour to approve both applications.

My intention now is to have SCC improve the Aldham Mill Hill /A1071 junction for safety. The very least I expect is repainting of the road markings, but I hope for more significant measures to be installed where practicable. The operator’s agent has spoken to me and said that they would assist with repainting and supply new signage, and they would hold consultation meetings with residents to help address our concerns.

It has been predicted that extraction of minerals from the quarry will become exhausted early next year 2024. Over several years, the quarrying area will then be backfilled with inert material and returned to productive farmland. Therefore, this land should be returned to agricultural activity and the landscape restored, possibly by the end of this decade.

£10 million new funding to fix residential roads

Suffolk has announced that local road surfaces in villages and residential areas in Suffolk should be blitzed as part of a new £10 million programme. The extra funding will nearly double Suffolk Highways’ £11 million annual roads maintenance budget, but be targeted at smaller residential streets which are typically maintained less frequently than busier A and B roads. This major £10 million investment will be spent over the next 20 months is to improve roads across the county where people live; those smaller roads often in estates or off the beaten track in our villages that are rutted and in need of some love and attention. I look forward to seeing how some of this new money can be exploited for the benefit of our town’s residential areas and streets.

Toppesfield Bridge and Duke Street

I reported the damage caused to the bridge last May and followed this up later that month when I met with highways officers at Endeavour House. SCC has confirmed that an inspector visited the site and quantified the extent of damage. Due to the Scheduled/Listed status of the bridge they will need gain consent from Historic England (HE) for the details/materials to be used in the repairs, and therefore it’s likely to be some time before the repairs will be undertaken. They will also take the opportunity to review what other maintenance works might be required to the bridge to see if there is any merit in coordinating these with the repairs required to the damaged parapet.

One success at this location is their inspector agreeing that the existing yellow lines on Duke Street do require repainting and this should be carried out in 34 months’ time.

Councillor Surgery

I hold my surgery on the third Saturday of the month with the next being at 11:00 on Saturday 19th August 2023 in the anti-room of the Royal British Legion Club, George Street.

Should you need to speak to me concerning an issue that affects you, contact me at - email: mick.fraser@suffolk.gov.uk; Tel: 0793 551 2591; or Facebook: @mickfraser4hadleigh, Twitter: @mick_fraser.

Highways faults especially potholes, can be reported at: https://highwaysreporting.suffolk.gov.uk or telephone: 0345 606 6171