Amended dates for night time surfacing at the Old Rd/Gipsy Lane junction

Here is a copy of a letter going out to residents from the County Council.

Re: Night time surfacing – slight amendment to programme

We recently wrote to you to advise you of the surfacing work that will take place over night at the junction of Gipsy Lane-Old Road-Roosevelt Drive-Warneford Lane.

We would like to advise you of a slight change to the programme, which is outlined below. The work that was originally scheduled for Monday 13th February will now take place on Saturday 11th February. This means the work will take place over six continuous nights.

This work will be done overnight between the hours of 7pm and 6am when traffic is at its lightest. For diversion routes, please visit www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/accessheadington

The closures will be as follows:

Monday 6th February – Old Road will be closed in both directions.

Tuesday 7th February – Warneford Lane eastbound, Gipsy Lane (in both directions)

Wednesday 8th February – Warneford Lane westbound and Roosevelt Drive (in both directions) will be closed

Thursday 9th February – Old Road will be closed in both directions
Friday 10th February – Warneford Lane eastbound, Gipsy Lane (in both directions)

Saturday 11th February (originally planned for Monday 13th February) – Warneford Lane westbound and Roosevelt Drive (in both directions) will be closed

The work we are carrying out can be noisy and we do apologise for this. We have a Section 61 agreement in place with Oxford City Council whereby we are only permitted to carry out certain work until 11pm. After 11pm we will only carry on with the less disruptive work in order to cause as little disturbance as possible.

Access to your property

As we will be closing roads, there may be times when access to your property is restricted, however our team on site will be more than happy to assist you getting to and from your property should you need to.

Energy pipe – Christmas update

Work on the first phase of the energy pipe works is coming to an end. Trenches in Lime Walk, All Saints Road and Latimer Road are being backfilled and resurfaced, ready for a final clean on Friday. At today’s meeting with the County Council, Vital Energi and the Trust, we discussed the lining in the affected roads. It was agreed that double yellow lines would be painted before the start of the Christmas weekend – if this cannot be scheduled by the City Council, this will be done by Vital Energi as we don’t want any safety issues to come up from parking on corners and other hazardous spots. White lines for parking slots need to be checked to make sure locations tally exactly with traffic orders, so will be re-painted back in the New Year.

The second stage of works to the south side of London Road will resume on 3 January. Work on the north side of London Road is scheduled to start on January 16th. For the schedule of works, please go to the Trust’s website via this link.

Latest news on energy pipe works

There has been a change of plan regarding traffic management in Lime Walk up until Christmas. Three way traffic lights have now been ruled out for various reasons e.g. this would significantly increase the currently congested situation causing a bottleneck and as a result parking bays would need to be suspended in order to accommodate traffic waiting at a red light. We asked for assurances about the safety of pedestrians at that junction if another solution was found.

The preferred course of action by Vital Energi and the County Council now is for the traffic flow to continue as it is now, but with marshalls for pedestrian safety & manual traffic control.

Re enquiries about signage, the yellow diversion signs in the Stapleton/Bickerton Road areas are in place for drivers of vehicles unable to turn into Latimer Road from London Road who are following a diversion route. We realise that local residents don’t find these helpful but they are placed there to help visitors to the area.

Energy pipe works – latest news

Residents have raised a number of queries about the energy pipe works – all complaints have been understood and resolved. It is normal to have teething problems at the beginning of a major project.

Why did works start at 7am Tuesday morning?

A delivery on Monday morning at 8am had caused tailbacks. An unauthorised decision was taken to try and avoid this today by manoeuvring a delivery earlier in the morning so that traffic would not be affected so significantly. This has been reported and it has been made clear to all contractors that works shall not commence before 8am in future.

Why is there some fencing off of pavement, we were told pavement would not be affected?

The location of the pipe is very close to the kerb on All Saints Road. The HERAS fencing has now been moved to be as close to the kerb as possible, allowing for 2m of pavement for pedestrians

Why has the end date before Christmas been moved from 16th to 23rd December?

The Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) made it clear that there should be no work after 16th. However the County Streetworks Team is trying to make sure that the Vital Energi works dovetail with the Winvic works at Beech House. There is one section of Latimer Road where connections need to be made from Beech House to each of the storm and foul water drains. Winvic need to dig a trench under the pavement and Vital Energi will enable that trench to connect to the sewers under the road surface in conjunction with its own energy pipe trench. The Winvic work has to be done before Vital Energi can combine it into their trench work because the connecting pipes run downhill. The County Council wants this joint working to happen so that (a) that part of Latimer Road isn’t dug up twice and (b) to minimise disruption to residents.

So the 23rd December has been mooted as a contingency date in case the Winvic works aren’t done in time to meet Vital’s deadline. The County officers have been to site to ensure all kit for the Winvic work is ready to go asap, so we are hoping that all work by both teams will still make the deadline of the 16th.

This has been reflected in the new signage.

There was noise overnight from the generator in the temporary Sandfield Road car park 

This has been rectified and will not happen in future.

 

Parking during the energy pipe works

parking-suspension-notices

The County Council has put up parking suspension notices along the whole energy pipe route. This has worried residents who had previously been told they can continue to park as normal, except for when the energy pipe trench is being dug immediately outside their property.

We’ve queried this with the County Council. The reason they do this is that if works progress more quickly than planned, the construction company can move into a new section of road straightaway without further delay.

We’ve explained to the County Council that this is not appropriate for this particular project in interconnecting residential streets. They have agreed to
only display parking suspension notices in directly affected areas, and movethese along as works progress – but only if Vital Energi gave an assurance that 5 days clear notice will be given before a new section of trench is dug. Vital has been keen to make that assurance.

So an instruction has now been given by the County Council for many of these notices to come down again. I’m not sure when that will be but I hope it’s very very soon.

We are also checking with the City Council over recycling collections in areas that will be directly affected next week. We’re trying to ensure that this will
go without a hitch, but the City’s recycling teams have requested that people show extra consideration as bin lorries manoeuvre their way through the area.

Headington Ward councillors are writing/printing street letters to post through the letterboxes of those affected so that everyone knows what’s going on. Please get in touch with us if you have any other concerns about the project.

Breaking. Parking suspensions along the energy pipe route SUPERSEDED – SEE ABOVE

Residents have contacted us because they are concerned about the parking suspension notices that the County Council has put up along the whole of the energy pipe route.

It’s standard practice for the Council to blanket cover the whole area where works will take place. This is ensure that parking is suspended should the works on one section finish earlier than expected and gives the contractor the facility to get work done more quickly.

In this case, the project will continue for four and a half months, so blanket coverage of suspension signs is causing needless concern.

We have discussed this with the Civil Enforcement Manager at the County Council and have secured an undertaking that superfluous parking suspension notices will be removed until needed, provided that Vital Energi undertakes to give 5 clear working days notice before moving works from one section to another. The Vital Energi project manager is happy to give that assurance but we are waiting to get official confirmation before we send out emails and street letters to that effect.

Councillors will discuss parking suspensions in Lime Walk (which will become one way after Christmas) at a meeting with County Networks and Vital Energi tomorrow.

This post will be updated later today

Energy pipe works set to start on 28 November in Highfield

Conditions attached to the planning consent have now been signed off. Letters are being distributed today by the Oxford University Hospitals Trust outlining the schedule of works. A 12 page booklet will be distributed mid-November giving fuller details e.g. the times of day works will be carried out, how to obtain visitors’ parking permits when the works are immediately outside your property, and other useful information. The proposed dates for works are always provisional at the start of a major project because of external circumstances – a protracted period of bad weather for example. If dates are delayed, residents will be notified of the revised timetable for works but we hope this eventuality will not arise.

From Monday 28 November to Friday 16 December, there will be three-way traffic lights at the Lime Walk/All Saints junction, and the 4th arm of the crossroads will be closed off between the midpoint of the entrance to Barrington Close and the above junction. Lime Walk will remain two way during that period, and access to Barrington Close will be from Bickerton Road and Stapleton Road. The planters at the junction will be removed and stored until the works are completed and will then be returned. Some bollards may be removed and stored temporarily during the works.

From Monday 28 November to Friday 16 December, the top of Latimer Road will be closed as far as the midpoint of the entrance to Latimer Grange.  There will be no entry to Latimer Road from London Road. Those wishing to access Latimer Road from London Road will need to take a different route, either via Gipsy Lane/Old Road/Bickerton or Stapleton Roads; or via Lime Walk and a wait at the three way lights, Old Road, and either Bickerton or Stapleton Roads.

Works affecting Sandfield Road will not start until the New Year.

Contact numbers for information

Daytime: Jo Lennon 07342 086843 (9am – 4.30pm)

Email: hospitalenergyproject@ouh.nhs.uk

Website: www.ouh.nhs.uk/about/developments/energy

Twitter: OUH_Estates #OUHEnergy

More details will be made available in the Trust’s booklet which is currently being printed. Ruth, Roz and Altaf have ensured that the County’s Networks, Access to Headington and Parking Teams have been fully involved throughout. Vital Energi, the contractors for the Trust, are working co-operatively with Winvic, the contractors for the Beech House development, over access to the Beech House site from Latimer Road.

If you require further information, please contact Jo (number above) or your local councillors Roz, Ruth and Altaf

How to contact your councillors

By phone:

Roz: 07584 257156

Altaf: 07931 345554

By email:

Ruth: ruth.wilkinson@oxfordlibdems.org.uk (email preferred)

Twitter:

Ruth

@ruthwilk

 

 

Works on Beech House in Latimer Road – latest newsletter

 

Thanks to Winvic for the October works newsletter reproduced as follows.

Site summary

At present we have 1 sub-contractor on site who is carrying out the civil works to the basement in readiness for the steel frame to be erected from the 05.12.16      

Works are progressing well on site with the commencement of the attenuation tank which will take all the storm water from the central courtyard once completed.

We have now commenced the water proofing system which sites on top of the concrete blinding after the bulk excavation is complete to level to which the re bar cages are then put in place to allow the installation of the basement slab

Progress to date

  • Bulk excavation ongoing

  • Cropping of piles

  • Installation of concrete blinding to basement

  • Installation of water proofing system

  • Construction of re bar cages

  • Installation of sheet piling

  • Installation of temp propping system to attenuation tank 

  • Installation of re bar cages to piles

Work to be progressed over the next 4 weeks:

  •  Complete bulk excavation

  •  Ongoing installation of water proofing system to basement

  •  Ongoing concrete blinding to basement prior to water proofing system

  •  Install attenuation tank base blinding

  •  Integrity tests to piles

  •  Concreting of 1st slab pour to basement inclusive of drainage ducts to basement

  •  Installation of base to attenuation tank to accommodate the installation of the tower crane

New High Street is a ONE WAY street between London Road and Bateman Street junction

sign_one-way

We are concerned at the number of reports we are getting about people driving their cars the wrong way in New High Street. This has caused near misses with some of our elderly and more vulnerable folk.

We have asked the County Council to check the signage but this cannot be improved any further.

We have asked the police for advice. They say:

[We] cannot be on the spot in case someone breaks the law.

With the many like restrictions throughout the County we cannot possibly target everyone. Signed only restrictions such as these are a nightmare, and with limited resources and ever increasing demand placed on our staff it is true we cannot police them all effectively .

I am sure if patrolling officers witness contraventions  they would take the necessary enforcement action .

Any permanent solution to this problem has to be through engineering but I accept that may not be possible .

There are insufficient resources at the County Council to pay for any new buildout work, so the only thing we can all do to stop this is to report careless drivers to our local police and spread the word to drivers in the area to behave with greater consideration for others. We shall contact the taxi and minicab firms with this advice too.